Penn State’s Pat Kraft Nominated for SBJ Athletic Director of the Year Award

Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft is on the ballot for a prestigious award. Kraft, who is in his third year overseeing the Nittany Lions’ athletic department, has been announced as one of five nominees for Sports Business Journal’s Athletic Director of the Year award.

Kraft is the lone Big Ten athletic director among the group of nominees that includes Boise State’s Jeramiah Dickey, Vanderbilt’s Candice Storey Lee, Iowa State’s Jamie Pollard and Tennessee’s Danny White.

Penn State led the Big Ten and ranked No. 3 nationally in the fall Learfield Directors’ Cup standings, the most successful placing of Kraft’s tenure.

The Nittany Lions’ women’s volleyball program defeated Louisville in December to claim their first national title in a decade. Penn State’s football team, meanwhile, made its College Football Playoff debut and won two postseason games en route to the semifinals.

Kraft has also led the oversight for the $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, expected to be completed prior to the 2027 football season.

The project has received over $130 million in donations, Kraft said two weeks ago. They include several major gifts that will result in the naming of a west sideline club, a field club, a welcome center and the west tower in recognition of their respective donors.

In a progressive move, Kraft helped sell the naming rights of the field at Beaver Stadium to West Shore Home in a landmark $50 million gift last week. The donation will serve as the second-largest cash gift in Penn State history, and is set to contribute significantly to the $700 million revitalization project of Beaver Stadium.