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Steve Becvar
Executive Associate Athletic Director, San Diego State University
Sean Briner
Associate Athletic Director, San Diego State University
On April 24, 2006, students in San Diego State University's Sports Business Management MBA program
were please to welcome, from SDSU's Athletic Department, Steve Becvar, Executive Associate Athletic Director, and Sean Briner, Associate Athletic Director.
Mr. Becvar came to sports marketing with degrees in business management and sports administration from Ohio University. Early in his career, he was associate athletic director at the U.S. Air Force Academy, handling athletic ticketing, promotion, marketing and development. It was at the Academy that Mr. Becvar met Mike Bohn, SDSU's Athletic Director, who hired him to join the Aztec team last year. At the time, Becvar was living in Memphis, having been Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the now defunct XFL, a football league co-sponsored by NBC and the World Wrestling Association, and Director of Sponsorship and Corporate Sales for the Memphis Grizzlies, a National Basketball Association team.
"I'm here to make a difference for the students," declared Mr. Becvar, whose position entails marketing SDSU Athletics within the San Diego community. "My job is to strengthen the support system available to SDSU's men and women student-athletes."
Mr. Becvar's relaxed style clearly plays well in San Diego, and his marketing talent is evident in the community's renewed excitement about SDSU athletics. Since his arrival, SDSU has set a new single-game attendance record in football, an NCAA record in baseball attendance, and a new record for student attendance at a home basketball game. SDSU ranked third in the nation last season for overall increased attendance at football games.
Sean Briner joined SDSU's Athletic Department in March of this year, following a record-setting stint as Associate Athletic Director, Marketing and Sales, for the University of Toledo. During his time with the University of Toledo, Mr. Briner helped set a University and Mid-American Conference record for football season ticket sales, and Mid-American Conference records in football season and single-game attendance. He also helped set a University and Mid-American Conference record for women's basketball season ticket sales. Prior to his work at the University of Toledo, Mr. Briner interned in the Marketing Department at the United States Air Force Academy for six months before stepping into the three-year role of Assistant Director for Marketing and Development.
Both men spoke candidly about their new roles at San Diego State University, the unique challenges that exist in a Southern California sports market, and initiatives that they have established to achieve their attendance goals.
They were surprised to find out when they stepped into their roles that SDSU didn't attempt to market to the San Diego military community. With a population of approximately 300,000, including family and dependents, this military market represents 10%-12% of the San Diego County population. With a strong attachment to the military, fostered by their previous positions with the Air Force Academy, both Mr. Becvar and Mr. Briner have hit the ground running with efforts to reach out to the San Diego military community. They spoke about their plans for Fleet Week San Diego, and their efforts to make the SDSU vs. Air Force game, during Fleet Week, the most successful and enjoyable event ever for the San Diego military community.
At the conclusion of their speech, Mr. Becvar and Mr. Briner graciously opened the floor up to questions from the students. Several students with a desire for a career in college sports took advantage of this opportunity to ask about the challenges of breaking in, and bureaucratic challenges present in college sports that otherwise might not exist in professional sports. Others with an interest in sports marketing asked about, and were provided with, lessons learned in previous sports marketing efforts. The class was then offered various opportunities to gain valuable sports marketing experience by working directly with both Mr. Becvar and Mr. Briner in their push to increase support for SDSU athletics.
The students, faculty, and staff of San Diego State University's Sports Business Management MBA program would like to thank Steve Becvar and Sean Briner for taking the time to visit our program and share with us their professional experiences in the sports industry.
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