Patterson named chief operating officer of Sun Devil Athletics

Steve Patterson, who has had a varied and successful career in professional sports management and who is currently the president of Pro Sports Consulting, has been named managing director of the Sun Devil Sports Group and chief operating officer of Sun Devil Athletics.

Several recent developments have necessitated that ASU enhance the management structure of its athletic facilities, the business office, marketing and fund-raising operations.  These developments include the Pac-12’s new national television contract, the creation of the Pac-12 television network and ASU’s plans to renovate and enhance its major athletic facilities with the revenue from its new athletic facilities district. To deal with these increased complexities and take maximum advantage of these new opportunities, Patterson will manage the university’s athletic facilities, including Sun Devil Stadium; and sports marketing, fund raising and media relations, and will coordinate with the Sun Devil Club.

ASU expects to realize $15 million annually in new TV revenue and is leveraging a portion of that income by reinvesting it in sports marketing and operations with the goal of doubling the budget of its athletics department in four to five years.

Before serving as president of Pro Sports Consulting, which provides services to companies, government entities, universities and individuals that operate or seek to acquire sports properties, Patterson spent nearly a quarter of a century as an innovative and successful executive in the NFL with the Houston Texans, in the NBA with the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, and in professional hockey the Houston Aeros hockey team.

The objectives of Sun Devil Athletics, under the leadership of Lisa Love, remain the same:  graduate student athletes, win championships and play by the rules.  The objectives of the Sun Devil Sports Group are to enhance the relationship between ASU and its fan base as well as to leverage the many assets and opportunities for increasing the revenue available to support Sun Devil Athletics.