Last modified: Thursday, September 2, 2004
Rick Greenspan biography (written by Army Media Relations)
In his sixth year as director of athletics at Army, Rick Greenspan oversees a resurgent sports program that is in the midst of an aggressive facilities overhaul. During his tenure at the Academy, Greenspan has made a large impact on the Black Knights' intercollegiate athletic program.
His influence and commitment to collegiate athletics, though, is not confined to West Point. That is evidenced by the fact that Greenspan remains heavily involved in a host of national and conference initiatives.
In addition to serving as a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Committee, Greenspan is an NCAA peer reviewer for intercollegiate athletic certification programs and is chairman of the Patriot League's athletic directors. He is also a member of the NACDA executive committee, serves on the NCAA Division I-A athletic director's legislative review committee and sits on Conference USA's committees for football scheduling and bowl financing.
Closer to home, Greenspan has presided over a multitude of new facility construction. Highlighting the list is massive Kimsey Athletic Center, which opened this spring and provides a majestic off-the-field home for Army's football program. He also spearheaded the efforts for a new press box atop Michie Stadium. That vision was realized this spring as well, with the completion of Hoffman Press Box, a multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art media center overlooking historic Blaik Field. In the past three years, Michie Stadium has also welcomed a new artificial playing surface as well as a television-quality lighting system.
Greenspan has orchestrated numerous other facility developments as well, including the construction of Gross Sports Center, new home for Army's gymnastics squad and a valuable practice venue for the Black Knights' basketball teams; Lichtenberg Tennis Center; Tronsrue Marksmanship Center; Malek Tennis Tennis Center; and the sparkling new Army Softball Complex, which debuted as the women's softball team's home this past spring.
Revitalizing many of Army's existing athletic facilities has also consumed Greenspan's attention. Since his arrival, contemporary new scoreboards have been installed at Christl Arena, Tate Rink, Gillis Field House and Clinton Field. Tate Rink, Christl Arena and Gillis Field House have also undergone significant renovations during his tenure.
In an effort to bring Army's sports programs to the widest possible audience while expanding reach into the vital New York metropolitan media market, Greenspan launched an agreement with 1050 ESPN Radio (New York, N.Y.) that made the New York City station the flagship of the Army Sports Network three years ago. The burgeoning network has ballooned from two stations to 16 under his guidance, adding affiliates in critical markets such as Washington, D.C., Gainesville, Fla., Philadelphia, Pa., Seattle, Wash., and San Antonio, Texas.
Administratively, the native of Greenbelt, Md., has significantly increased athletic fund-raising by revamping the solicitation process and schedule, while introducing a prioritized seating area for Michie Stadium. During that time, Army's athletic fundraising efforts have nearly doubled. He was also instrumental in the process of developing a new family of brands for the athletic department.
Prior to arriving at the Academy, Greenspan served as the athletic director at Illinois State University from 1993 to 1999. Sporting one of the largest athletic departments in the Midwest, Illinois State surged forward under Greenspan's direction. Five times during his tenure, Illinois State's intercollegiate athletic program captured the Missouri Valley Conference's All-Sports Award for overall excellence.
In 1997, Illinois State announced a record student-athlete adjusted graduation rate of 84 percent, several percentage points above the national average.
Facilities also flourished under Greenspan's leadership with the school unveiling a new softball complex. A $1.6 million football office and locker room complex was also approved during his reign.
Greenspan, who boasts 24 years of administrative experience, graduated from the University of Maryland in 1975 with a bachelor's degree in behavioral science. He was a four-time letterwinner on the Terp baseball team before receiving a master's degree in physical education with an athletic administration option from Idaho State in 1979.
Greenspan arrived at Illinois State following one year as senior associate athletic director at the University of Miami (Fla.). Among other duties, he provided daily operations management for all athletic programs and projects.
Prior to his time at Miami, Greenspan spent eight years on the staff at the University of California-Berkeley. At Cal, he rose to associate athletic director for external affairs and also served as acting director of athletics. Before joining the Cal staff, Greenspan worked for three years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and one at the University of New Hampshire.
Greenspan and his wife Jenny have two children: Emily, 22, and Ben, 19. Both currently attend the University of Connecticut.
