Matt Weitzel was named associate athletics director for strategic communications in June 2023. He has been a member of the UI Athletics Department staff for 25 years — the previous 11 as the UI’s associate director, athletic communications.
Weitzel manages and leads the department’s communications strategy for all 22 sports and serves as communications contact for the Hawkeye football team. He was worked 16 Hawkeye bowl games, dating back to 2002. Weitzel is a member of College Sports Communicators (CSC), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and the United States Basketball Writers Association (USBWA).
The native of Mundelein, Illinois, graduated from the UI in 1997, with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications. Weitzel spent 24 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 worked as a secondary contact for the football team for over two decades. 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. Prior to being hired full-time in 1999, he served as an undergraduate student intern in UI’s women’s sports information department from 1997-98 and a full-time degreed intern from 1998-99.
His resume includes directing or assisting All-America campaigns for several Hawkeye student-athletes including Luka Garza (two-time national player of the year), Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Jarrod Uthoff, Cooper DeJean, Tory Taylor, Brandon Scherff, Shonn Greene, Cara Consuegra and Brad Banks.
Weitzel is just the fifth director of the UI’s strategic communications department in 100 years, following Steve 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 director of strategic communications, Weitzel works with the marketing, photo, video, graphic arts and creative content directors to shape the department’s strategic communications strategy.
He and his wife, Carrie, have a four-year old son, Grey, and two-year old daughter, Owen Rose.