FRESNO, Calif. – Garrett Klassy was appointed Fresno State Athletics' next Director of Athletics, announced by Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval on Friday, June 21. Klassy will begin in his role on July 23. A formal introductory press conference will be held next week, with details to be announced at a later date.
"I am deeply excited at the opportunity to work with Garrett," added President Jiménez-Sandoval. "He comes with an impressive background in athletics, and demonstrates integrity, intentional passion, and strategic energy. As he grew up on a dairy farm, he lives our values, understands our culture and illustrates our work ethic at the highest levels."
Klassy comes to Fresno State from Houston where he has served as the Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Revenue Officer since June 2023. He has previous stops at Nebraska (Senior Deputy AD), UIC (Director of Athletics), Oregon (Assistant AD for Development), Alabama and Wisconsin.
In his previous roles, Klassy has been deeply successful in several major athletic department initiatives including NIL, development, fundraising, creative and emerging media, marketing, broadcasting, sponsorship efforts, ticketing, communications and licensing.
"I am deeply honored and grateful to President Jiménez-Sandoval for the opportunity to lead Fresno State Athletics," Klassy expressed. "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."
While at Houston, Klassy oversaw revenue generation units and initiatives while also working alongside other members of the executive team as they continued to plan, amend and execute UH's move into the Big 12 Conference.
Klassy's arrival in Houston followed a four-year tenure at Nebraska, serving as Senior Deputy Athletic Director and Interim Athletics Director, and two years as Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at UIC.
In his role at Nebraska, Klassy directed the day-to-day operations, providing leadership 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, an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and George Washington University, started his career in athletics ticketing at Wisconsin. Subsequently, he spent four years as the Assistant Director of Ticket Operations at Alabama. In 2005, Klassy joined the University of Oregon as Assistant Athletics Director for Development & Ticket Sales, playing an integral role in several capital campaigns that built Matthew Knight Arena and the Hatfield-Dowlin Football Operations Center.
During his tenure at George Washington, Klassy coordinated strategic initiatives for all aspects of Athletics External Relations and managed the $38 million athletic department operating budget. He cultivated strategic partnerships, leading to a significant increase in ticket revenues, membership, and donations. Klassy secured the largest gift in GW Athletics history to build a clubhouse and training facility for GW Baseball.
At UIC, Klassy oversaw unprecedented growth, negotiating a $10 million naming rights partnership for the Credit Union 1 Arena, resulting in the largest gift in the university's athletics history. Under his leadership, UIC celebrated eight conference championships and a rebranding, aligning the university with the city of Chicago's legacy.
Klassy was instrumental in several major initiatives at Nebraska Athletics. He spearheaded #NILbraska, an NIL initiative focused on educating student-athletes on branding, marketing, and financial literacy. He played a pivotal role working with Nebraska State Legislature to draft legislation enabling student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness.
Klassy successfully managed the fundraising for Nebraska's $100 million GO BIG capital campaign for construction of a new football operations facility. He was instrumental in orchestrating the Garth Brooks concert at Memorial Stadium, marking the venue's first concert since 1987, generating an estimated economic impact exceeding $10 million for the city of Lincoln. Additionally, Klassy spearheaded the establishment of Huskers Athletic Partners, an in-house agency responsible for managing Nebraska's multimedia rights and radio network.
Klassy grew up on a farm; he and his wife Lindsay have two sons, Brody and Cade.