WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Monmouth University President Dr. Patrick Leahy has announced the hiring of current Deputy Athletic Director Jeff Stapleton as the University's seventh Director of Athletics, effective at the start of the 2021-22 fiscal year.
 
Stapleton, who has spent the last 31 years at Monmouth, most currently as the Deputy Director of Athletics, will officially begin on July 1, 2021. He replaces legendary Director of Athletics Dr. Marilyn McNeil who announced her retirement earlier this year after 28 years at the helm of the Hawks.
 
"I am delighted to name Jeff Stapleton to this important position," said Leahy. "He has served this University tirelessly for 31 years and in those years has been instrumental in developing one of the top mid-major programs in the nation. However, what impresses me most about Jeff is his vision for the future of Monmouth Athletics, in particular his commitment to providing high-quality, equitable, and inclusive opportunities for our coaches and their student/athletes. The future of Monmouth Athletics is in very good hands."  
 
"I'd like to thank President Leahy for entrusting me with this opportunity to lead the Monmouth Athletics Department, one which has been part of my life and my family's life for over 30 years," said Stapleton. "I would also like to thank Dr. Marilyn McNeil for her leadership over the last 28 years. She has set the foundation for how a Division I athletic department should operate and I've been fortunate enough to have a front row seat for the entirety of that time. The Monmouth University community is a special place, we have some of the best and longest tenured coaches and staff members. Together we will keep the tradition of on-field excellence while continuing the overall mission of providing the most comprehensive and rewarding experience for our student-athletes."
 
Stapleton has been an active and integral part of the success and advancement of the Monmouth University Department of Athletics for the last 30-years. In 2015 he was promoted to Deputy Director of Athletics, acting as the chief athletics administrator in absence of the Vice President and Director of Athletics.  
 
One of his primary responsibilities at the University has been to serve as the facilities director for athletics, a role that includes overseeing the development and construction of some of the best fields and facilities that mid-major Division I athletics have to offer. Over the past 20 years Stapleton has been a key component to the construction of the 57-million-dollar Ocean First Bank Center, the 16 million-dollar Kessler Stadium and renovations to all of Monmouth's athletic facilities. Most recently he oversaw renovations to the varsity weight room, Monmouth's field hockey facility, Boylan Gymnasium and the eight-lane outdoor track.
 
"I am very pleased with the appointment of Jeff Stapleton as the next AD for Monmouth," said McNeil. "Jeff has been my deputy throughout my tenure and he has been very loyal and wise.  He was a part of every major decision and I always sought his important counsel. He was a humble and thoughtful Deputy. I have every confidence that he will lead this department forward and upward and wish him nothing but the best!"  
 
As the Associate Athletics Director for Internal Operations, a role he served in from 1994 until 2009, Stapleton oversaw the daily operational needs of three of the University's marquee programs in football, men's basketball and baseball. His tasks included but were not limited to daily policy interpretations, hiring coaches, monitoring budgets, overseeing scholarship awards, coordinating scheduling, evaluating head coaches and directing game operations. Stapleton continues to be the primary supervisor for those sports, which have been some of the most successful in the department with 10 NCAA Tournament appearances between them, including two in the last three seasons for Monmouth's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) football team.
 
No stranger to the external relations of a Division I University, Stapleton was the school's television production liaison for 11 years, coordinating exposure through televised athletic events on ESPN, MSG, Cablevision, CN-8 and CSTV among others. For the last seven seasons he has been a member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Marketing and Television Committee and was instrumental in Monmouth joining both the MAAC and the Big South Conference.
 
Stapleton began his employment with the University in August of 1990 as an Assistant Athletic Director. He served as the primary hiring coordinator for the department, a crucial time that would see the hiring of longstanding coaches Kevin Callahan and Dean Ehehalt among others.  
 
Prior to that he had spent three years as a Field Promotions Manager for Avia Group International developing and executing athletic footwear promotions in the tristate area. From 1983 to 1987 he was an assistant basketball coach at Colgate and his alma mater, Hobart College.
 
He is a 1983 graduate of Hobart College, where was a four-year member of the men's basketball team.
 
Stapleton and his wife Trish reside in Spring Lake Heights with their four daughters, Maggie, Maureen, Siobhan and Niamh.