Who is Notre Dame's new athletic director, Pete Bevacqua? All you need to know about Jack Swarbrick's replacement
Pete Bevacqua is set to take over as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish athletic director. Jack Swarbrick, who has served in the role since 2008, is set to step down in 2024.
Notre Dame announced the hiring on Twitter:
"NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua '93 has been named Special Assistant to the President for Athletics. He will assume the position of University Vice President & James E. Rohr Director of Athletics upon Jack Swarbrick's '76 departure in 2024."
Check out the tweet from the University of Notre Dame below.
NBC Sports Chairman Pete Bevacqua '93 has been named Special Assistant to the President for Athletics.
He will assume the position of University Vice President & James E. Rohr Director of Athletics upon Jack Swarbrick's '76 departure in 2024.
go.nd.edu/e7a50b
#GoIrish https://t.co/fimF79pCDD
What did Pete Bevacqua say about his new role?
Pete Bevacqua graduated magna cum laude from Notre Dame in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in English. He discussed his hiring as the 13th athletic director in a university press release:
"This is an unbelievable honor for me and a dream come true. With the exception of my family, nothing means more to me than the University of Notre Dame. As a Notre Dame alum, I have a keen understanding and deep appreciation of the lifetime, transformational benefit our student-athletes receive in a Notre Dame education, one that is unique and unlike any other institution in the world.
"I am so grateful to Father Jenkins, the Board of Trustees and, of course, Jack Swarbrick. Jack has become a true friend over the course of the past several years and I am looking forward to working alongside him and learning as much as I can from the person I admire and respect the most in college athletics."
Speaking with Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, Bevacqua said that he wasn't looking to become an athletic director but couldn't pass up the opportunity to return to his alma mater.
What has Pete Bevacqua done since graduating from Notre Dame?
Pete Bevacqua earned his law degree from Georgetown University in 1997, graduating cum laude. He worked for the Davis Polk & Wardell LLP for four years before joining the United States Golf Association. In 2012, he was named the CEO of the PGA of America.
Six years later, he became the president of NBC Sports. He was promoted to chairman of the company in 2020. During his time with both the PGA and NBC Sports, Bevacqua played a key role in negotiating several media rights deals.