University of Massachusetts Amherst Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy announced today that Ryan Bamford has been named the UMass Director of Athletics. Bamford becomes the seventh permanent Director of Athletics at UMass after spending the previous four years at Georgia Tech including the last two as Senior Associate AD.
Bamford will officially be introduced on Tuesday afternoon at 2:00 PM in the Football Performance Center's James & Ellen Hunt Hospitality Suite.
"Ryan brings the right mix of devotion to the student-athlete, a winning tradition in a broad range of sports, and intimate knowledge of FBS football---just what we were looking for," said Subbaswamy. "He brings great energy to our Department of Athletics and is someone who we think can help elevate us to the next level. Those we spoke with about Ryan were all of the same mind in that they think he is one of the top young administrators in the country."
"I am humbled by the opportunity to join the UMass family as its director of athletics. I would like to thank Chancellor Subbaswamy, Vice Chancellor John Kennedy and the search committee for providing me the opportunity to serve the Commonwealth's flagship university," said Bamford. "As a New England native, I have witnessed the University's ascent to its position as one the leading public research institutions in the nation. In addition, UMass offers a world-class athletics experience. I am excited to work with a strong group of student-athletes, coaches and staff to build UMass into a nationally recognized program."
Bamford brings to UMass a pedigree of college athletics administrative experience mixed with a personal insight into the needs of student-athletes as a former basketball player at Ithaca College.
Professionally, he has quickly climbed the ladder of collegiate administration with his time at Georgia Tech being preceded by eight years at Yale, the last five years as a Senior Associate Director of Athletics.
"In Ryan Bamford, UMass has landed a talented and experienced athletic administrator," said Mike Bobinski, Director of Athletics at Georgia Tech. "Ryan's extensive background in college athletics and his role as a key member of our senior leadership team at Georgia Tech has provided him with the perspective and broad context necessary to provide strong, positive leadership and direction for the UMass athletic program. I share Ryan's excitement for this opportunity and look forward to the impact he'll have at UMass."
Bamford was originally hired at Georgia Tech by Dan Radakovich who became the Director of Athletics at Clemson University in 2012.
"Ryan Bamford is one of the bright young men in our industry," said Radakovich. "As an outstanding student-athlete and now an accomplished administrator, Ryan has the ability to relate to and motivate everyone that he meets. He will be a tireless worker and will make a positive difference for UMass athletics each day."
"Congratulations to the University of Massachusetts on its selection of Ryan Bamford as the new Director of Athletics. Ryan is a "rising star" in college athletic administration," said Yale Director of Athletics Thomas Beckett. "He was introduced to college athletics by his dad Steve Bamford, a legendary college athletic administrator. Ryan demonstrated exceptional leadership and professionalism throughout his time at Yale. Everyone knew he would become a leader on the national scene soon."
At Georgia Tech, Bamford was promoted to Senior Associate AD in June 2013 after beginning his time with the Yellow Jackets as Associate AD in 2011. From August 2013-September 2014, Bamford oversaw internal and external operations. With Georgia Tech, he handled all operational aspects for football, baseball, and men's basketball while also overseeing sports medicine, player performance, facilities, equipment and game operations. Each of his three sport programs were highly prominent at the national level with football being a top-10 Football Bowl Subdivision team winning the 2014 Orange Bowl, a top-25 baseball program and a renowned Atlantic Coast Conference basketball program. A primary function of Bamford's was to oversee all aspects of scheduling for ACC and non-league games including coordination with media partnerships.
Bamford also played a key role with the Yellow Jackets in donor relations for fundraising scholarships, endowments and capital projects.
At Yale, Bamford spent eight-plus years with the Bulldogs. As the Senior Associate AD, he was the sport supervisor for the football, men's basketball and fencing programs. He was also responsible for overseeing Yale's event management team, equipment operations, sports medicine, and strength and conditioning along with internal operations.
Nationally, the New Hampshire native has served on a number of NCAA and Ivy League committees including four years on the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Committee which he chaired in 2009 and 2010.
He began his college administration career at Springfield (Mass.) College. He has also served at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), Octagon Sports Marketing, Plymouth State University, and the University of New Hampshire.
A 2000 graduate of Ithaca (N.Y.) College, Bamford was a standout basketball player for the Bombers. He left Ithaca as the school's single-season and career leader in 3-point field goals, while finishing 13th on the career scoring list.
Bamford comes from a family devoted to higher education and professionalism within college athletics. His father Steve was the Director of Athletics at Plymouth State University for 13 years before joining the ECAC in 2000 as an assistant commissioner.
