New Stadium- Challenges and Successes
Joe Parker is in his third year as Director of Athletics at Colorado State University. A proven athletics administrator with experience at some of the nation’s finest collegiate programs, Parker was hired on March 17, 2015 by CSU President Dr. Tony Frank.
Parker, who had been the deputy athletics director at Texas Tech of the Big 12 Conference since April 2011, also has served as senior associate A.D. at the University of Michigan (Big 10), the University of Oklahoma (Big 12), Washington State University (Pac-12) and the University of Texas (Big 12).
In Parker's first two-plus years in Fort Collins he has skillfully and thoughtfully guided the athletics department and the university through the construction of Colorado State's 41,000-capacity multipurpose stadium, which opens on-time and on-budget for the 2017 football season. The state-of-the-art facility houses all aspects of the Rams' football program and includes general classroom space, the Collaborative for Student Achievement and the Iris & Michael Smith Alumni Center.
Parker has led the department of athletics through the successful process of selling out all premium seating inventory in the stadium. Comprised of private suites, loge boxes, indoor club and outdoor club seating, the entire premium seating inventory sold out in October 2016, nearly a year before the stadium's opening. Season ticket sales continue to pace at record levels, and memberships sold out in May 2017 to the stadium's two VIP areas—the New Belgium Porch and Orthopaedic & Spine Center of the Rockies Field Club. In addition to the memberships selling out, both partnerships by prominent Fort Collins companies illustrate the tremendous connection between the university and the community, and demonstrate great enthusiasm for partnering with Colorado State and investing in its future.
In just his first two years in Fort Collins, Parker has overseen tremendous success by the Rams' athletics programs in competition, and continued growth of Colorado State Athletics. The Rams had the Mountain West's highest average finish in 2016-17 (3.94) across its 16 sport programs, claiming three conference championships and six second-place finishes. The Rams were represented in 10 NCAA postseason competitions, and including the two basketball programs competing in their respective National Invitation Tournaments and football’s bowl game, 13 of the 16 CSU athletic programs wrapped up their year in postseason events.
CSU's volleyball and women's basketball programs both went undefeated in their 18 Mountain West contests during the 2015-16 academic year, making CSU just the fourth school in NCAA history to have dual undefeated conference seasons, and the first time in school history. The CSU football team has qualified for its third and fourth consecutive bowl games and the Rams have claimed eight total MW championships since Parker's hire.
In Parker's tenure he also has signed an extension of Colorado State's multi-year agreement with Under Armour to be its official apparel provider through 2021, as well an enhanced, long-term multimedia rights partnership with Learfield, both of which position Colorado State for continued growth in its profile and stature nationally.