The first words from Fresno State’s new athletic director, Garrett Klassy, should get the attention of Bulldogs fans.

“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,”  said Klassy, whose hiring was announced in a news release by university President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval on Friday morning.

“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, who will start on July 23, succeeds Terry Tumey, who was let go in March.

“I am deeply excited at the opportunity to work with Garrett,” said 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’s Background

The new Bulldogs athletics boss comes from Houston, where he has served as deputy AD and chief revenue officer since June 2023. He had previous stops at Nebraska (senior deputy AD), University of Illinois-Chicago (AD), Oregon (assistant AD for development), Alabama, and Wisconsin.

In his previous roles, he tackled initiatives such as NIL, fundraising, media, marketing, broadcasting, sponsorships, ticketing, communications, and licensing, Fresno State officials said.

While at Houston, Klassy oversaw revenue generation while being involved in the university’s move to the Big 12 Conference.

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Contributions at Nebraska

During his four-year tenure at Nebraska, Klassy directed the day-to-day operations and also had administrative oversight for football while contributing to men’s basketball.

He spearheaded #NILbraska, an initiative focused on educating student-athletes on branding, marketing, and financial literacy. He additionally played a pivotal role working with the Nebraska Legislature on legislation enabling student-athletes to monetize their name, image, and likeness.

Klassy also managed the fundraising for Nebraska’s $100 million GO BIG capital campaign for construction of a new football operations facility.

Early Career and Education

Klassy is an alumnus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and George Washington University. He then started in athletics ticketing at Wisconsin. Subsequently, he spent four years as the assistant director of ticket operations at Alabama.

An introductory news conference will be held next week.