Long Beach State Athletics is heading into a new era spearheaded by the leadership of second year Director of Athletics Victor Cegles. Cegles was named Director of Athletics in April, 2006. He is the 12th Director of Athletics in the school's history and brings a wealth of collegiate experience with him to Long Beach. Cegles came to Long Beach from Temple University, where he spent three years as the senior associate athletic director for external affairs. With an extensive and varied background, Cegles has excelled in the area of development and fund-raising. His goal is to make Long Beach State not only the premiere school in the Big West Conference, but to compete on the national stage as well, athletically, academically and financially. This past year Cegles began a plan to reorganize the department, especially its fund-raising efforts. He brought on board additional staff in the areas of development, marketing and fund-raising in order to help Long Beach State increase its revenues and exposure in the community. His mantra of "always getting better" has resonated throughout the department, with student-athletes and coaches, and in the community of Long Beach. "Victor Cegles came to this process very highly regarded throughout the athletic community across the country, and when he visited here, he very quickly impressed the coaches, athletes and other members of our campus community," said University President F. King Alexander. "After numerous discussions with some of the most respected people in intercollegiate athletics today, there seems to be widespread consensus in his ability, integrity and knowledge of university athletics." From 2003-06, Cegles was at Temple University, where he reorganized the athletic department's fund-raising endeavors, coordinated efforts between the department and the university's development office and directed corporate sponsorship. Previously, he was vice president of business development for Gaylord Sports Management in Scottsdale, AZ, after serving 16 years at Arizona State University in athletic development and external affairs. He ultimately served as the lead senior associate athletic director for external affairs in his final two years at ASU.
While at Arizona State he led the athletics department's $25 million capital campaign to enhance facilities and endowments, and, among other responsibilities, supervised baseball, men's and women's golf, and women's gymnastics. He also was the assistant athletic director for development at Rutgers University for five years. Cegles served as assistant varsity basketball coach at Carnegie Mellon University and as an assistant varsity basketball and baseball coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College and Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He holds a B.S. degree in business administration from Bucknell and a Masters in counseling and student personnel services from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Cegles and his wife, Bonnie, have two sons, Vic, who is a senior at Rutgers University and on the baseball team, and Casey, a redshirt sophomore at Towson University who is on the Tiger football squad. Strategic Plan (PDF) |
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