DR. BRYAN MAGGARD HIGHLIGHTS

• Saw the Ragin' Cajuns win a Sun Belt title in Football, Softball and Baseball, making Louisiana the only program in the country to win all three and a bowl game in 2021-22
• Under Maggard, Louisiana student-athletes led the Sun Belt Conference in community service hours during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons
• Oversaw the most successful year in fundraising in 2021-22 after the Department raised more than $30 million
• Secured the Department's largest-ever gift of $15 million
• Implemented Louisiana Athletics' strategic plan, Let's Geaux!
• Led the charge in inking the department's first-of-its-kind, 10-year multimedia rights partnership with LEARFIELD
• Sun Belt Conference Athletics Director Chair
• Sun Belt Conference Expansion Committee Co-Chair
• Mentor for the 705 Program, Lafayette professional development organization

A new era in Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics began on Feb. 1, 2017, when Dr. Bryan Maggard was introduced as Director of Athletics. In his more than five years leading the Ragin’ Cajuns, Maggard has continued to bring new excitement to the Louisiana fan base while finding unique ways to build on one of college athletics’ most unique brands.
 
After being elevated to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in June 2021, Maggard oversaw what is likely one of the most successful years in Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics history after Football won its first outright Sun Belt Conference Championship at Cajun Field and both Baseball and Softball won conference titles and represented Louisiana in the 2022 NCAA Regionals.
 
At the end of the 2021 Football campaign, Maggard named the newest head coach of Ragin’ Cajuns Football, former assistant coach and quarterback, Mike Desormeaux. Desormeaux made an immediate impact on the program in his new role, guiding the team to an impressive 36-21 victory over Marshall in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to cap off the team’s historic 13-1 season.
 
In addition to the on-field success, Louisiana experienced its most successful year in fundraising in 2021-22 after the Department raised more than $30 million. One of those gifts was $15 million from Our Lady of Lourdes to secure the stadium naming rights for Cajun Field, the largest gift in Department history.
 
The 2020-21 athletic year saw the Football program win the Sun Belt Conference title and secure a victory in the SERVPRO First Responders Bowl, a 31-24 win over UTSA. Women’s Basketball, competing in its 50^th season, won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt crown, while Softball won the regular season and tournament titles.
 
In 2019, Maggard and his administration spearheaded the “Let’s Geaux” strategic plan. The three-year plan features three overall priorities: student-athlete experience, fiscal and facility management and cULture. Benchmarks and measurable successes will be tracked as the Department of Athletics works through the upcoming years. 

Maggard also led the charge in inking the department’s first-of-its-kind, 10-year multimedia rights partnership with Learfield in March 2018. Learfield, and its local extension, Ragin’ Cajuns Sports Properties, have worked tirelessly to expand the brand of the Ragin’ Cajuns both locally, regionally and nationally. 
 
Ragin’ Cajuns Football has long been an exciting part of any athletic year, and that tradition carried on under former head coach Billly Napier, who Maggard selected to lead the program in 2017. Under Napier, the program won four consecutive West Division titles and back-to-back Sun Belt crowns in 2020 and 2021 while compiling an overall record of 40-12.

Supporting the life blood of any program, the recruitment of talented student-athletes, has been a matter of importance to Maggard during his time with the Ragin’ Cajuns. That point of emphasis has paid dividends with Louisiana Football for the 2019 and 2020 signing classes, as both groups were rated as the No. 1 recruiting class in the Sun Belt Conference by 247Sports.com. Louisiana Softball also secured the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation in 2021.
 
Putting excellent leadership in charge of Louisiana’s teams has been one of Maggard’s clear objectives during his tenure, with an emphasis on the student-athlete experience and the culture surrounding the program of the utmost importance. 
 
One of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ premiere sport programs, Louisiana Softball, needed a new leader in late fall of 2017. Maggard tabbed one of the top assistant coaches in all of collegiate softball, Gerry Glasco, as head coach on Nov. 20, 2017, and the extraordinary results have followed.
 
Since taking over the program, Glasco has seen the Ragin’ Cajuns extend their NCAA Tournament streak to 22 consecutive seasons and their consecutive Sun Belt series winning streak to 73. Under Glasco, Louisiana has won three Sun Belt Regular Season titles and three Sun Belt Tournament titles.

Following the passing of longtime Louisiana Baseball head coach Tony Robichaux, Maggard found the right leader at the right time in Matt Deggs, a former top assistant of Robichaux’s who went on to turn Sam Houston State into a consistent national contender.
 
In just three seasons, Deggs guided the team to a Sun Belt Tournament title in 2022 and their first NCAA Regional appearance since the 2016 season.
 
Both Louisiana Basketball programs have won Sun Belt titles during Maggard’s tenure, with the men winning the regular season crown in 2018 and the women winning the regular season title in 2020. Head coach Bob Marlin is the Sun Belt’s winningest head coach in league play, while head coach Garry Brodhead continues to cement his place as the winningest head coach in program history.
 
Louisiana’s Soccer program has experienced a fresh start under Maggard’s watch, earning back-to-back appearances in the Sun Belt Tournament semifinals for the first time in program history in 2019 and 2020. A new era of Louisiana Soccer began on Feb. 24, 2022, when Chris McBride was named as the team’s new head coach.
 
Ragin’ Cajuns Volleyball has seen a rebirth as well under head coach Kristi Gray, who Maggard appointed in 2021 and led the team to 15 wins in her first season. Maggard and Gray have since led the charge for the complete renovation of historic Earl K. Long Gymnasium, a project that will significantly enhance the student-athlete experience for years to come.
 
Maggard, a native of Dexter, Kansas, joined the Ragin’ Cajuns in 2017 after spending 22 years at the University of Missouri where he last served as the Tigers’ Executive Associate Athletic Director.
  
During his tenure at Missouri, Maggard provided leadership for numerous areas within the Department of Athletics to include academic services, athletic dining, athletic performance, equipment operations, sport and counseling psychological services, sports medicine, student-athlete development as well as the revenue-generating units of development, marketing, ticketing and multi-media rights. Additionally, Maggard was very involved in assisting the athletic department with its transition into the Southeastern Conference.
 
Maggard taught Sport Management courses at Mizzou, as an adjunct professor, where he assisted campus leaders in establishing a Sport Management degree program. Maggard was also a member of the University of Missouri Graduate Faculty and served on doctoral examination and dissertation committees.
 
Prior to his stint at Missouri, Maggard had stops at Florida State University and Kansas State University, overseeing the academic support services for the Seminole and Wildcat football programs respectively.
 
Maggard received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master’s degree in health and physical education, both from Kansas State University. He received a Ph.D. in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri. He and his wife, Kerry, are proud parents of three children, Dalton, Aubrey, and Kaylin.
 

DR. BRYAN MAGGARD AT A GLANCE

University of Louisiana
Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics (2021-Pres.)
Director of Athletics (2017-21)

University of Missouri
Executive Associate Athletic Director (2012-17)
Senior Associate AD (2005-12)
Associate AD for Academic Services (2002-05)
Assistant AD for Academic Services (2000-02)
Academic Coordinator (1995-2000)

Florida State University
Assistant Director for Athletics Academic Services (1993-95)

Kansas State University
Academic Counselor (1990-93)