Staff Directory

Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich

Title:
Director of Athletics
Email:
Phone:
(330) 972 - 6689

Andrew T. Goodrich was named Director of Athletics at The University of Akron on May 12, 2025, bringing more than two decades of business and athletics administration experience to the Zips. A servant leader and trusted advisor, Goodrich has built his career around competitive excellence, revenue growth, strong relationships, disciplined financial stewardship, and an exceptional student-athlete experience.

After Goodrich’s first year of leadership, the Akron Zips can make a compelling case as the nation’s top pound-for-pound FBS athletics department.

The Zips earned seven conference championships, highlighted by Men’s Soccer advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight, Men’s Basketball’s undefeated at home (15-0) and overall career best 29-6 record, #54 NET Ranking, and NCAA Tournament appearance, Women’s Swim & Dive’s best MAC Championship performance, three conference championships from Men’s and Women’s Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field, and a program first NCAA Tournament appearance and NCAA Tournament victory by our Women’s Softball program.
While having the second lowest budget among all FBS athletics programs in the nation, the Zips, finished second in the MAC All-Sports competition, earned a top 30% national finish in the Learfield Cup Standings, and submitted a balanced budget on the strength of significantly increased philanthropic giving, the establishment of the Akron Competitive Excellence Fund, as well as elevated ticket, facility rental, and corporate sponsorship revenues.
Academically, the Zips shined as they set records in the classroom for highest cumulative fall GPA (3.21), highest cumulative spring GPA (3.27), and earned the second highest football APR score in history (962) which was imperative to help the Akron Zips regain bowl eligibility for 2026.

Goodrich joined UA after serving as Vice President and Director of Athletics at Gardner-Webb University, where he led a NCAA Division I department with twenty-two varsity sports and implemented a cultural blueprint for competitive, civic, and academic excellence.

Under his leadership, the Runnin’ Bulldogs won seven conference championships, produced seven Big South Conference Athlete of the Year honorees, and five Big South Coach of the Year recipients.

Gardner-Webb football won back-to-back Big South–OVC Football Association championships in 2022 and 2023, including the program’s first conference title in 19 seasons, two NCAA FCS Playoff invitations, its first playoff victory, and its first appearance in the FCS “Sweet 16.”
The men’s soccer team won the Big South Championship, defeated national power, Wake Forest, and for the first time in school history, won a game in the NCAA Tournament with a victory at Oregon State.
The department also claimed Big South Conference championships in women’s basketball, where they became the first team in conference history to go undefeated in conference play (21-0), and men’s tennis, which brought valuable national recognition to the Boiling Springs campus.

Previously, Goodrich served as Deputy Director of Athletics and Chief Marketing Officer at Syracuse University from 2018 to 2022, where he helped advance one of the nation’s most visible athletics brands. A senior university and athletics leader, he helped establish the Orange’s Name, Image and Likeness efforts, negotiated record setting revenue deals, highlighted by JMA Wireless Dome Naming Rights agreement, Nike apparel deal, and Fanatics e-commerce agreement, while leading Syracuse’s efforts to successfully launch the ACC Network into more than 40 million homes nationwide.

Additionally, his brand and marketing strategies helped Syracuse lead the nation in men’s basketball attendance three times, set the NCAA men’s basketball single-game attendance record, achieve record football season ticket sales, sellout their bowl ticket allotment, secure significant corporate sponsorships, and earn the 2022 Clyde Award as Learfield’s Corporate Partnerships Property of the Year.

Goodrich’s career also includes remarkably successful leadership roles with the University of South Florida Bulls, the University of Miami Hurricanes, and the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish after starting his career working as a financial analyst for IBM in New York.

At Akron, Goodrich’s goal is to help the Zips responsibly manage resources, build effective campus and community partnerships, compete for conference and national championships, and continue climbing together through a rapidly changing era in college athletics.

A former baseball student-athlete at Cumberland University, Goodrich earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Cumberland, an MBA in marketing management from Notre Dame, and a doctorate in higher education administration from the University of South Florida. He was a three-time academic all-conference selection and a member of Cumberland’s 1998 NAIA College World Series team where he played for College Baseball Hall of Fame Coach, Woody Hunt.

In addition to his administrative leadership, Goodrich has spoken at numerous national conventions and has taught courses in business communications, sports marketing, and athletics administration. He and his wife, Erika, live in Akron with their King Charles Cavalier, Charley.