Breaking: Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandova’ Announces New Director of Athletics

Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval announced on Friday, June 21 that Garrett Klassy will be taking over as Fresno State Athletics’ new Director of Athletics. Klassy is scheduled to assume his new role on July 23, and a formal introductory press conference is set to take place next week, with specific details to be provided later. Expressing his enthusiasm about this appointment,

President Jiménez-Sandoval stated, “I am truly thrilled at the prospect of collaborating with Garrett. He brings an impressive sports background to the table and embodies integrity, purposeful passion, and strategic drive. Having grown up on a dairy farm, he embodies our values, understands our culture, and exemplifies our work ethic at the highest levels.”

Klassy joins Fresno State from Houston, where he held the position of Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Revenue Officer since June 2023. His prior professional experience includes roles at Nebraska (Senior Deputy AD), UIC (Director of Athletics), Oregon (Assistant AD for Development), Alabama, and Wisconsin.

Throughout his career, Klassy has achieved significant success in various key initiatives within athletic departments, including NIL, development, fundraising, creative and emerging media, marketing, broadcasting, sponsorship efforts, ticketing, communications, and licensing.

In response to his appointment, Klassy expressed his deep gratitude and honor, stating, “I am deeply honored and grateful to President Jiménez-Sandoval for the opportunity to lead Fresno State Athletics. This is an incredible moment for me and my family, and I am committed to working tirelessly to move Fresno State Athletics forward aggressively during this changing landscape of college athletics.

I look forward to embracing the rich culture and values of the Central Valley, and I am excited to engage with the passionate Red Wave fan base. Together, we will build on our traditions and achieve new heights of success.” Klassy’s tenure at Houston included overseeing revenue generation units and initiatives, as well as collaborating with the executive team to navigate UH’s transition into the Big 12 Conference.

Before his time at Houston, Klassy spent four years at Nebraska, serving as Senior Deputy Athletic Director and Interim Athletics Director, and two years as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at UIC. At Nebraska, Klassy was responsible for leading day-to-day operations, providing direction to revenue-generating, external operating units, and sports performance areas. He also had administrative oversight for Cornhuskers Football and contributed to Men’s Basketball.

Klassy, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and George Washington University, began his career in athletics ticketing at Wisconsin. He then held the position of Assistant Director of Ticket Operations at Alabama for four years. In 2005, Klassy joined the University of Oregon as Assistant Athletics Director for Development & Ticket Sales, where he played a pivotal role in several capital campaigns that resulted in the construction of the Matthew Knight Arena and the Hatfield-Dowlin Football Operations Center.

During his time at George Washington, Klassy coordinated strategic initiatives for all aspects of Athletics External Relations and managed the $38 million athletic department operating budget. He fostered strategic partnerships that led to a substantial increase in ticket revenues, membership, and donations.

Klassy also secured the largest gift in GW Athletics history to construct a clubhouse and training facility for GW Baseball. Notably, at UIC, Klassy oversaw exceptional growth, which included negotiating a $10 million naming rights partnership for the Credit Union 1 Arena, resulting in the university’s largest athletics gift in history.

Under his leadership, UIC achieved eight conference championships and underwent a rebranding that aligned the university with the city of Chicago’s legacy. Klassy played a key role in several major initiatives at Nebraska Athletics, including spearheading #NILbraska, an NIL initiative focused on educating student-athletes on branding, marketing, and financial literacy. He also worked closely with the Nebraska State Legislature to draft legislation enabling student-athletes to capitalize on their name, image, and likeness.

Furthermore, Klassy successfully managed the fundraising for Nebraska’s $100 million GO BIG capital campaign for the construction of a new football operations facility. He orchestrated the Garth Brooks concert at Memorial Stadium, marking the venue’s first concert since 1987 and generating an estimated economic impact exceeding $10 million for the city of Lincoln.

Additionally, Klassy led the establishment of Huskers Athletic Partners, an in-house agency responsible for managing Nebraska’s multimedia rights and radio network. Klassy, who grew up on a farm, and his wife Lindsay have two sons, Brody and Cade.