Arizona State University introduced chief business officer and executive senior assistant Graham Rossini as the new athletic director officially on Thursday morning.
Rossini was tabbed as the favorite to take over the role as reported by Sun Devil Source in May.
He has been a staple in the Valley for over 20 years, primarily working in baseball for both Sun Devil Athletics and the Arizona Diamondbacks.
“What I’d like everybody to know is that I am a Sun Devil first and foremost,” he told reporters Thursday. “That’s always been a big part of my background and my DNA.”
Sun Devil Athletics has been without an official leader since Ray Anderson resigned on November 13, 2023.
The Arizona State graduate spent eight years with Sun Devil baseball and now Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy, who he thanked during his remarks Thursday morning.
Arizona State has struggled in the ever-changing world of college athletics and the NIL landscape, but Rossini’s business background presents a new outlook for the program.
“We’re not trying to satisfy shareholders. We’re not trying to build equity for an ownership, we’re trying to reinvest dollars into our student-athletes,” he said. “Being connected to the business community and our supporters here in the Valley, that’s a unique advantage.”
He reiterated that he and university president Michael Crow are committed to building up the school’s NIL support to compete with other powerful athletic programs across the country.
As for why the decision took so long, Crow stated that ASU wanted to ensure issues such as the NCAA’s investigation into the football program were resolved.
Rossini will be tasked with leading Arizona State into the Big 12 conference in 2024.
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