The University of Akron Athletics
The University of Akron Names Matt Pottorff Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer
August 04 | General
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron (UA) Director of Athletics Dr. Andrew T. Goodrich announced today that Matt Pottorff has been named Senior Deputy Athletics Director and Chief Operating Officer for the Blue and Gold.
Pottorff will join UA from Rutgers University, where he has served since 2017 as the Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Compliance Officer, among other roles.
"Matt is an incredibly gifted, hardworking, and well-respected athletic administrator who brings significant experience, knowledge, and professionalism to help us create a culture of competitive excellence as we enter this new era of intercollegiate athletics. " Goodrich said. "His success and expertise in the Name, Image, and Likeness space as a Big Ten administrator over the past several years is an incredible asset to our coaches, student-athletes, and staff as we position ourselves to climb the ranks within college athletics."
Pottorff will provide strategic leadership and be responsible for broad supervision of the athletic department's external units, which include Zips Athletic Club, Name/Image/Likeness (NIL), communications, ticket sales, marketing, branding, multimedia rights, licensing, merchandising as well as support the Director of Athletics as a sports administrator for football, men's and women's basketball and women's lacrosse.
"This is an incredible opportunity to be at the University of Akron and work for Andrew Goodrich, whom I've considered a friend and mentor for over a decade," Pottorff said. "As college athletics continues to go through monumental changes, I'm excited to help Akron navigate the challenges ahead."
At Rutgers, Pottorff's role included department-wide strategic planning, providing solutions to emergent issues, and leading the Name, Image, and Likeness efforts which included oversight of the Altius NIL General Manager position. In addition, Pottorff led the athletics compliance office, providing administration for 24 sports programs, 200+ employees and 700+ student-athletes. Pottorff was a sport administrator for multiple programs, where he and his direct reports oversaw sport administration for 12 of Rutgers 24 sports programs. Pottorff also served as the liaison to the Office of the General Counsel, University Ethics & Compliance, Registrar, Office of Financial Aid, Admissions, Student Conduct, Residence Life, and serves as an athletics liaison to the University Audit Committee, Campus Investigation Case Review Group, Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (Athletics oversight committee) among others.
Pottorff joined Rutgers after spending two years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at the University of Northern Colorado. Serving as a senior staff member, Pottorff was responsible for administration of compliance for 19 sports programs, more than 50 coaching staff members, over 350 student-athletes. While at the University of Northern Colorado, Pottorff was a deputy Title IX coordinator, a member of the campus Legislative Academic Compliance Committee (steering committee for oversight of legislative academic regulations at the University of Northern Colorado), the compliance liaison to University of Northern Colorado Board of Athletic Control, and the Athletic Department Liaison to offices of Financial Aid, Registrar, Housing, Dining Services, Admissions, and General Counsel.
Prior to his time at the University of Northern Colorado, Pottorff worked in athletics administration as an Assistant Director of Compliance at University of Miami, a Compliance Assistant at the University of Kansas, as well as a law clerk for Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP in their sports law practice.
Pottorff received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas.
Pottorff will join UA from Rutgers University, where he has served since 2017 as the Deputy Athletic Director/Chief Compliance Officer, among other roles.
"Matt is an incredibly gifted, hardworking, and well-respected athletic administrator who brings significant experience, knowledge, and professionalism to help us create a culture of competitive excellence as we enter this new era of intercollegiate athletics. " Goodrich said. "His success and expertise in the Name, Image, and Likeness space as a Big Ten administrator over the past several years is an incredible asset to our coaches, student-athletes, and staff as we position ourselves to climb the ranks within college athletics."
Pottorff will provide strategic leadership and be responsible for broad supervision of the athletic department's external units, which include Zips Athletic Club, Name/Image/Likeness (NIL), communications, ticket sales, marketing, branding, multimedia rights, licensing, merchandising as well as support the Director of Athletics as a sports administrator for football, men's and women's basketball and women's lacrosse.
"This is an incredible opportunity to be at the University of Akron and work for Andrew Goodrich, whom I've considered a friend and mentor for over a decade," Pottorff said. "As college athletics continues to go through monumental changes, I'm excited to help Akron navigate the challenges ahead."
At Rutgers, Pottorff's role included department-wide strategic planning, providing solutions to emergent issues, and leading the Name, Image, and Likeness efforts which included oversight of the Altius NIL General Manager position. In addition, Pottorff led the athletics compliance office, providing administration for 24 sports programs, 200+ employees and 700+ student-athletes. Pottorff was a sport administrator for multiple programs, where he and his direct reports oversaw sport administration for 12 of Rutgers 24 sports programs. Pottorff also served as the liaison to the Office of the General Counsel, University Ethics & Compliance, Registrar, Office of Financial Aid, Admissions, Student Conduct, Residence Life, and serves as an athletics liaison to the University Audit Committee, Campus Investigation Case Review Group, Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics (Athletics oversight committee) among others.
Pottorff joined Rutgers after spending two years as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at the University of Northern Colorado. Serving as a senior staff member, Pottorff was responsible for administration of compliance for 19 sports programs, more than 50 coaching staff members, over 350 student-athletes. While at the University of Northern Colorado, Pottorff was a deputy Title IX coordinator, a member of the campus Legislative Academic Compliance Committee (steering committee for oversight of legislative academic regulations at the University of Northern Colorado), the compliance liaison to University of Northern Colorado Board of Athletic Control, and the Athletic Department Liaison to offices of Financial Aid, Registrar, Housing, Dining Services, Admissions, and General Counsel.
Prior to his time at the University of Northern Colorado, Pottorff worked in athletics administration as an Assistant Director of Compliance at University of Miami, a Compliance Assistant at the University of Kansas, as well as a law clerk for Bond, Schoeneck & King, LLP in their sports law practice.
Pottorff received his undergraduate degree from Creighton University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Kansas.
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