Tarleton introduces new Athletic Director

BY JAXON HANSARD / Sports Editor 

Tarleton Athletics introduced its newest intercollegiate athletic on Monday, Feb 26, 2024.

Vice President Steve Uryasz will succeed the legendary longtime director Lonn Reisman. Uryasz will lead Tarleton Athletics after this spring using his 40-plus years of experience with roles at West Virginia University, Texas Tech University, Oklahoma State University and the University of Nebraska. 

Tarleton President James Hurley said the search committee wanted a vice president who would have passion for not only athletic excellence but scholastic achievement to maintain the emphasis on traditions for Tarleton campuses. 

Hurley said they found the right candidate when Uryasz's first words in his interview were, “I want this job.” 

“Lonn is an icon here all you have to do is walk through wisdom,” Uryasz said 

Uryasz said it will be important to keep building Tarleton athletics from the strong foundation that Reisman has built. Uryasz’s said his dedication and enthusiasm for Tarleton has only grown with his meetings with Hurley.

“I have never been around a president like Dr. Hurley, the energy, to be honest, is infectious, we want to build on that and we want to have that bleed over into athletics,” Uryasz said   

Uryasz has always wanted to be a DI athletic director specifically in Texas and when Wren Baker of West Virginia University was hired and discussed plans with Uryasz told him exactly that. 

 “We (Hurley and Uryasz) talked about Tarleton State three years ago and I've got a lot of great relationships in the area, people kept telling me you're not going to believe what's happening on that campus so I watched it and watched it,” Uryasz said. 

The growth of Tarleton and the homey feel of Stephenville were major points in the Uryasz decision to come here and impacted their visits to the town and college. 

“I've been on hundreds of college campuses and as you drive through them there's a real easy to way to measure progress, and it is cranes if you look up and see no cranes on a college campus their not growing,” he said. 

On one of Uryasz visits, he met with the football team and told them that, “Our number one goal is that they graduate, those that have the opportunity to go play professionally in the NFL and make millions of dollars and then donate half of it back to us,” Uyrasz said

Tickets sales, sponsorships, fundraising, premium fan experiences and the Texan Club are ways that Uyrasz plans to make money for the school and enhance athletics.