ASU alum (’02 BS in business management, ’11 MBA)
Two-time Sun Devil alumni Graham Rossini was named Sun Devil Athletic Director on May 23, 2024. He is charged with leading the continued growth of Sun Devil Athletics by driving championship results and increasing ticket sales, corporate partnerships, philanthropic contributions, NIL opportunities, fan experience, and letterwinner outreach.
A veteran of more than 20 years in sports business at the MLB and Power 4 levels, Rossini guided the Sun Devils to unprecedented success in 2024–25 as ASU joined the Big 12 Conference, excelling in both competitive and academic performance. The expanded Power 4 conference positions Sun Devil Athletics nationally, with a footprint covering all four time zones and broadcast distribution through ESPN and Fox on both linear television and streaming platforms. More than 34 million fans watched the Sun Devil Football program compete in 2024, while television ratings increased 41.5% year-over-year during the regular season.
The success of Sun Devil Athletics in 2024–25 culminated in ASU being named the winner of the inaugural Big 12 Commissioner’s Cup in Rossini’s first year leading ASU’s 26 sports and 600 student-athletes. The Commissioner’s Cup was created to recognize Big 12 athletic departments for their efforts in fostering an environment that develops student-athletes both on and off the field. Points are determined by a combination of NCAA Graduation Success Rate, Big 12 regular- and postseason titles, and on-campus programs emphasizing community engagement, mental health, and career development.
ASU led the conference with four league titles, winning in Volleyball, Football, and Men’s and Women’s Swim & Dive. Additionally, four other Sun Devil programs finished second in the Big 12 (Women’s Golf, Men’s Golf, Lacrosse, and Beach Volleyball), while Ice Hockey finished second in the NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference) and Triathlon placed No. 2 nationally. Five programs finished ranked in the national Top 10, thirteen in the Top 25, fifteen advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and all ASU programs qualified for their respective conference tournaments.
Since becoming Athletics Director, Rossini has hired head coaches Jamea Jackson (Women’s Tennis) and Molly Miller (Women’s Basketball) and awarded contract extensions to Kenny Dillingham (Football), JJ Van Niel (Volleyball), and Jay Santos (Gymnastics).
Sun Devil student-athletes continue to excel academically. In the 2024–25 academic year, student-athletes achieved a 3.37 GPA, 82% earned a 3.0 or higher, and 135 posted a perfect 4.00. In addition, nearly half of all Sun Devils made the Dean’s List, and 147 graduated. Three student-athletes earned Big 12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year recognition, and ASU led the Big 12 with 68 Winter Academic All-Big 12 honorees. ASU also secured its eighth NCAA Elite 90 award, and six student-athletes were named CSC Academic All-Americans. The Sun Devils now have 158 CSC Academic All-Americans, the most in the Big 12. With a 93% NCAA Graduation Success Rate and a 992 average Academic Progress Rate, ASU consistently ranks among the nation’s best in academic achievement.
Focused on incorporating fan feedback and enhancing the gameday experience across all Sun Devil venues, the department made several major strides in 2024–25, prioritizing affordability and improving parking, concessions, and retail offerings. Additionally, the department introduced an expanded streaming platform on ESPN+ and a partnership with Fox 10, bringing coaches’ shows, the new ASU All Access weekly magazine show, and more than a dozen hockey games to free, over-the-air broadcasts throughout the Valley. Fans responded enthusiastically to these improvements and to strong competition from Sun Devil teams, with several sports setting attendance records.
Football attendance increased 28% from the 2023 season, including a 45% increase in student attendance and, for the first time, more than 10,000 students attending games in back-to-back weeks. Baseball’s total attendance of 119,956 was the highest since Phoenix Municipal Stadium opened in 2015, and the April 4 crowd vs. Arizona (7,084) was also the largest since the program’s return to the Phoenix ballpark. Hockey once again sold out its season tickets and finished the season at 102% capacity, while Volleyball and Lacrosse both set program records for average home attendance.
The energy and commitment of fans also translated into significant commercial success, fueling the Sun Devils’ ability to resource all programs at a high level in this new era of college sports. 2025 ticket demand is poised to increase by more than 30%. Entering the 2025 football season, ASU renewed 96% of season ticket holders and sold over 7,500 new season tickets, a 30% increase over 2024 — the highest total since 2014. Additionally, all premium spaces and suites are sold out, including the newly created 48-seat north end zone loge boxes.
Corporate partnership revenue grew by more than 20% in 2024–25, with similar growth projected in 2025 thanks to new strategic partners such as Align, APS, Axon, G2G Protein Bar, Kia, and Shamrock Farms. The department’s NIL efforts also generated brand partnerships between ASU athletes and companies like adidas, Cold Beers & Cheeseburgers, Desert Financial Credit Union, Mountain America Credit Union, and San Tan Ford, along with the launch of Devil’s Halo, a beer created in partnership with the Sun Angel Collective, Crescent Crown Distributing, and Huss Brewing Co.
Fundraising also grew in 2024–25, with Sun Devil Club gifts and commitments increasing 52%, including seven seven-figure gifts. ASU’s athletic donor base rose 23% to 12,172 — the highest total since 2015.
Rossini originally joined Sun Devil Athletics in 2021 as Senior Associate Athletics Director and was promoted in 2023 to Executive Senior Associate Athletics Director/Chief Business Officer before ascending to Athletics Director. He led the department’s efforts to secure a 15-year naming rights partnership for Mountain America Stadium and a 10-year extension of the naming rights for Desert Financial Arena.
As a sports administrator, Rossini oversaw Sun Devil Wrestling, which won the 2022 Pac-12 title and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, followed by a seventh-place national finish in 2023. He also served on the search committees that hired head baseball coach Willie Bloomquist (2021) and head volleyball coach JJ Van Niel (2022), while negotiating a contract extension with head wrestling coach Zeke Jones (2022).
Rossini also served on the university’s Big 12 transition team as ASU, a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), officially joined the new conference in August 2024.
His return to ASU followed 13 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks as Vice President of Special Projects & Fan Experience, where he was involved in the leadership of the club’s ticketing, corporate partnerships, special events, food & beverage, and merchandise efforts. He also oversaw the club’s fan experience, alumni outreach, branding, and sustainability departments.
Rossini led more than $300 million in capital projects during his MLB career, including the design, construction, ticket sales, and marketing of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the award-winning and LEED Gold–certified Spring Training complex. The facility was a finalist for Sports Facility of the Year from Sports Business Journal and has received more than 40 “best of” awards. Since opening in 2011, it has led Major League Baseball in total and average Spring Training attendance each year. He was also responsible for the planning and design of the D-backs’ Player Development and Education Academy in the Dominican Republic.
Additionally, Rossini directed the D-backs’ successful efforts to host the 2011 All-Star Game and the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also coordinated the 2014 MLB Opening Series in Sydney, Australia, exhibition games in Mexico (2015 & 2019), and the winning bid that secured Phoenix as a host site for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Before joining the Diamondbacks, the Mobile, Ala., native spent five years as ASU’s Director of Baseball Operations, where he contributed to two College World Series teams, two Pac-10 championships, and five top-five recruiting classes.
Rossini graduated cum laude with both a B.S. and an MBA from ASU’s W. P. Carey School of Business.
A passionate community supporter and advocate, Rossini has served with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a member of “The Vinnies” since 2015 and is a past board member of TGen, Vitalant, Downtown Phoenix Partnership, Downtown Phoenix Warehouse District, and the ASU Alumni Association.
He is currently a member of the Board of Directors for Lincoln City FC, a club in England’s Football League One, and serves on the Big 12 Executive Committee, Big 12 Commercial Committee, and the Phoenix Local Organizing Committee Board of Directors for the 2026 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
In the summer of 2021, Rossini was selected to participate in the prestigious LEAD1 Institute, a professional development program for senior-level collegiate administrators. He has been featured as a panelist or speaker at leading industry events such as CALS (Collegiate Athletic Leadership Symposium), Sports Business Journal’s Intercollegiate Athletics Forum, and the VenuesNow Annual Conference.
Additionally, he is a recipient of Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and his work has been honored as MLB’s Hard Goods Retailer of the Year (2017), Green Sports Alliance Environmental Innovator of the Year (2018), and the Pac-12’s Environmental Innovator of the Year (2022).
Rossini is married to Alison Lund, an ASU Cronkite School alumna and Sun Devil Volleyball letterwinner. The couple resides in Phoenix with their son, Rhett, and daughter, Sofia.
ADDITONAL COVERAGE
--Graham Rossini's introductory press conference
--Q&A: Rossini on the opportunities, challenges ahead as ASU's new athletic director (by Scott Bordow, ASU News/May 23, 2024)
--Bloomquist, Rossini create Sun Devil Baseball Endowment / Support Group
--Home Sweet Home: Sun Devil Road Warriors Supported Home and Away
How about this for a #TBT
— Sun Devil Baseball (@ASU_Baseball) May 30, 2024
Our guy, Graham Rossini throughout the years with Sun Devil Baseball 🔱#ForksUp /// #TogetherWeWin pic.twitter.com/P7Is0sWjm9