In the fall of 2024, Craig Pintens will begin his seventh full academic year as Loyola Marymount University's Athletic Director. Pintens was formally introduced as Athletic Director in June 2018, bringing leadership experience from national championship-winning programs.
Since being named Athletic Director, Pintens has revitalized LMU Athletics through one of the most successful periods competitively in its history by hiring more than half of the current head coaches while restructuring the senior management team, renovating facilities, and establishing record-breaking fundraising numbers.
Athletic Success
With a concentration on national success, the Lions have finished in the top twenty in the Learfield Directors' Cup Final Standings among Division I-AAA schools in each of the years' standings recorded, highlighted by a 9th place finish in Division I-AAA in 2021-2022, the best in school history. Since 2018, LMU Athletics has significantly increased its presence in the NCAA post-season, with sixteen appearances by eight different teams. Five times, teams have advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, including four straight Quarterfinal appearances by beach volleyball from 2019-2024 and a Quarterfinal appearance by men’s soccer. The Lions have also excelled in the regular season, winning twelve championships under Pintens. Notably, 10 of the 14 sports have either won a conference title or participated in the NCAA post-season.
Director's Cup Standings Under Pintens
- 2018-2019: 18th in Division I-AAA; 155th overall
- 2019-2020: N/A (COVID-19)
- 2020-2021: 17th in Division I-AAA; 140th overall
- 2021-2022: 9th in Division I-AAA; 117th overall
- 2022-2023: 17th in Division I-AAA; 131st overall
Academic Success
The current athletic department cumulative GPA is 3.384, with every team accumulating a team GPA of over 3.00 for the first time in the fall of 2020 and spring of 2021. The graduation success rate (GSR) of 95 percent ranks five percentage points above the national average.
Record Fundraising
Fundraising has achieved unprecedented heights, with the three highest years ever happening in FY21, FY22, and FY23, with each year surpassing the $5M mark. More than $5.4M was raised in the most recent year to support scholarships, facility renovation, and competitive opportunities. The high water mark occurred in FY22, with more than $5.82M raised.
LMU Athletics has thrived on the annual Day of Giving, earning over $600, 000 in back-to-back years and the highest total in FY22, $647, 416, a 43.7 percent increase over the previous year, thanks to 1, 550 gifts.
LMU is a leader among Division I-AAA schools in NIL, generating significant opportunities through its collective, Magis Lions. In the fall of 2023, LMU became one of the first schools to establish a General Manager position through Altius Sports Partners
Hiring and Retaining Coaches
Pintens has hired 10 of the 14 head coaches currently at LMU. During Pintens's tenure, head coaches have been recognized ten times as WCC Coach of the Year. In March 2020, he selected Stan Johnson as LMU's new men's basketball coach, which has put LMU on the best trajectory since the historic 1989-90 season. In his first season as head coach, Johnson guided his team through the COVID-19 pandemic and posted a winning record in the WCC for the first time since 2011-12. LMU's 95 ranking in Johnson's first year is the highest NET (or RPI at that time) since the Elite Eight season of 1990. Johnson followed that up with a fourth-place finish and the second-best NET/RPI ever in his third season (2022-23).
Enhanced Facilities
LMU Athletics' infrastructure continues to change under Pintens. In the Spring of 2024, ground was broken on a major renovation of Gersten Pavilion, which will include an expanded Academic Success Center and new office space for the basketball programs. Gersten Pavilion has undergone multiple renovations, including enhanced locker rooms and training area, new floor design, lighting, seating, new lobby entrance, spirit shop, and comprehensive rebranding. In addition, Page Stadium (baseball), Smith Field (softball), Sullivan Field (soccer), Aquatics, Tennis, the Chad and Ginni Dreier weight room, the training room, Lions Athletic Center, and the Burns Back Court Practice Gym have been completely renovated and rebranded.
In addition, lights have been installed at Smith Field and the Aquatics facility. In the spring of 2023, LMU opened its first new competition venue since 2006 with a four-court beach volleyball facility just outside Burns Recreation Center.
Before LMU
Pintens came to LMU from the University of Oregon, where he served as senior associate athletic director for seven years. In that role, he helped lead Oregon's athletic programs to tremendous success in competition, as Oregon won 17 national championships. He transformed the fan experience, strategic planning processes, athletics operations, promotions, and fundraising while overseeing the marketing and communications departments. Prior to his tenure at Oregon, Pintens worked in the athletic departments at Louisiana State University, Marquette University, and the University of Texas-Pan American. As Assistant Athletic Director of Marketing at LSU, Pintens implemented strategic ticket sales plans, leading to record ticket sales and attendance numbers while developing a social media strategy that led to one of the most prominent social media imprints in college athletics.
At Marquette, he established attendance and revenue records in both men's and women's basketball, ranking in the top ten nationally in men's basketball attendance. At the University of Texas-Pan American, he managed sales, promotions, and game-day operations; and successfully negotiated the university's first Spanish radio broadcast deal.
Pintens is an accomplished public speaker who has appeared at conferences throughout the country. The National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators has honored him with over 40 awards in season ticket campaigns, advertising, ticket sales, new media, video, and corporate sponsorship.
Pintens is also a member of the Wisconsin Bar; he earned his Juris Doctor from Marquette University School of Law and his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in marketing cum laude from the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater.
Family
Pintens is married to Jill, and they have four children: Kaitlin (LMU '26), Jackson, Tate, and Avery.