IOWA CITY, Iowa — Long-time University of Iowa athletics administrator Matt Weitzel has been promoted to associate athletics director, strategic communications, the UI Athletics Department announced Wednesday.
Weitzel, who has been a member of the UI Athletics Department staff for 24 years — the last 11 as the UI’s associate director, athletic communications — replaces Steve Roe, who is retiring next month after 33 years of service to the university and UI Athletics Department.
Weitzel will manage and lead the department’s communications strategy for all 22 sports and serve as communications contact for the Hawkeye football team. He is a member of College Sports Communicators (CSC), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
“Over the past 20-plus years, Matt has built great relationships with our current and former coaches and student-athletes,” said Matt Henderson, deputy director of athletics, external relations. “He is more than prepared for this leadership position and has demonstrated a wonderful ability to work collaboratively with our external relations team. The successful history of those individuals who previously held this position is well documented and I’m confident he will join the list as a future hall-of-famer.”
Weitzel graduated from the UI in 1997, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications. The native of Mundelein, Illinois, has spent the last 23 seasons as the communications contact for UI’s men’s basketball (2010-23) and women’s basketball (2001-09) programs, as well as several other Hawkeye sports. He has worked as a secondary contact for the football team for nearly two decades, including working 15 bowl games. Weitzel has been a part of the staff who earned the FWAA Super 11 Award in 2019 and 2021, which recognizes sports information departments and programs across the country that exemplify excellent media relations.
His resume includes directing or assisting All-America campaigns for several Hawkeye student-athletes including two-time national player of the year Luka Garza, and Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Jarrod Uthoff, Brandon Scherff, Shonn Greene, Cara Consuegra and Brad Banks to name a few.
Weitzel becomes just the fifth director of the UI’s strategic communications department in 100 years, following Roe (2011-23), Phil Haddy (1993-2011), George Wine (1968-93) and Eric Wilson (1924-68). All four previous directors have been inducted into the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Hall of Fame, the most by one institution in the country.
In addition to his duties with the Hawkeyes, Weitzel has worked a variety of NCAA and Big Ten Conference championships in addition to volunteering at the PGA’s John Deere Classic.
As the director of strategic communications, Weitzel will work with the marketing, photo, video, graphic arts and creative content directors to shape the department’s strategic communications strategy.
