Appointed Loyola University Chicago’s Director of Athletics on November 12, 2014, Steve Watson has been at the helm of the Ramblers’ athletics department for some of the greatest moments in school history. Under his guidance, Loyola has won a NCAA championship (men’s volleyball), reached the NCAA Final Four (men’s basketball and men’s volleyball), racked up a total of 12 NCAA tournament berths, 20 conference championships, and ranked No. 1 in the nation in Graduation Success Rate.
In 2022-23, Watson coordinated Loyola Chicago’s transition into the Atlantic 10 Conference following a nine-year stint in the Missouri Valley. Since joining the A-10, the Ramblers have crowned two regular season champions (women’s volleyball and men’s basketball), five conference champions (women’s cross country – twice, men’s cross country – twice, and women’s volleyball), two individual cross country champions, and 10 individual track & field champions.
During his 10 years at Loyola, Watson has orchestrated several facilities improvements, added staff positions, increased revenue streams, enhanced Loyola’s national profile, and re-energized alumni and the fan base.
His work was instrumental in the construction of The Alfie Norville Practice Facility, which opened its doors in August 2019, to provide a brand-new practice venue for Loyola’s basketball and volleyball programs.
He also played a key role in the installation of new video boards in Gentile Arena, as well as the redesign of that facility’s playing surface. Other notable facilities enhancements under Watson’s reign include the creation of a new Hall of Fame atrium in Gentile Arena, the remodeling of the basketball locker rooms, the installation of a fueling station for student-athletes, and a complete rebrand of the Norville Athletics Facility.
Loyola, thanks to Watson’s efforts, also entered into an agreement with Learfield IMG College to manage the Ramblers’ multimedia rights and to drive additional revenue via corporate sponsorships and continue to grow the Loyola brand.
With Watson at the helm of the department, Loyola student-athletes have continued to achieve unprecedented success. During his tenure in Rogers Park, Loyola has earned multiple NCAA Public Recognition Awards for outstanding Academic Progress Rate scores, has ranked in the top two in the nation in Graduation Success Rate in multiple seasons, tying for first in 2017 and 2018, and produced over 10 Academic All-Americans.
Watson came to Loyola after seven-plus years as the director of athletics at St. Bonaventure University. Named to his post there in 2007, athletics thrived under Watson’s leadership. The men’s basketball program, under one of Watson’s first hires, Mark Schmidt, enjoyed a renaissance, winning the first Atlantic-10 Conference titles in school history in 2012 and returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 12 years. The women’s program also took off and reached the postseason five times in seven years, including a watershed 2011-12 season that saw the team finish with a program-best 31-4 record, complete with a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16.
While the basketball programs took center stage, several other programs enjoyed a tremendous amount of success under Watson. St. Bonaventure’s women’s soccer team qualified for the conference tournament in six straight seasons and its men’s and women’s cross country teams enjoyed their best-ever seasons.
Academic success came hand-in-hand with the school’s on-field improvement as St. Bonaventure’s graduation rates and Academic Progress Rate numbers continued to climb.
In addition, Watson was instrumental in helping with facility improvements for Bonnies athletics, most notably spearheading a $2 million upgrade to the multi-purpose field for soccer, lacrosse and club rugby that was unveiled in 2014. That project was part of St. Bonaventure’s athletics strategic plan entitled “Your Teams. Our Extraordinary Future,” that Watson co-chaired in 2012. He also oversaw the construction of a new $300,000 women’s basketball locker room, a $200,000 renovation of the men’s basketball locker room, and the unveiling of the Bob Lanier Court at the Reilly Center, which featured a new court, scoreboards and sound system while also serving as a tribute to St. Bonaventure’s most famous alum.
Watson moved into the first chair after a six-year stint (2001-07) at Eastern Michigan University, one year as assistant athletics director for facilities and operations and five years as associate athletics director for internal operations. While in Ypsilanti, Watson was the athletic program administrator for 12 sports, while also overseeing the marketing/promotions, communications, strength and conditioning and equipment departments.
Prior to Eastern Michigan, Watson served as the director of marketing and promotions at the University of Dayton (1999-2001) after getting his start in intercollegiate athletics as a marketing assistant at the University of Georgia (1998-99).
Watson moved into athletic administration following a successful basketball-playing career. He spent two seasons at Rutgers before transferring to Bowling Green for his final two years, after which he embarked on a seven-year professional career overseas that included stops in France, Portugal and Taiwan.
He graduated from Bowling Green in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Interpersonal and Public Communications and went on to earn a Master of Sport Administration degree from Ohio University in 1998.
A native of Franklinville, N.Y., Watson and his wife, Ann, have three children – Abby, Allison, who played four years with the Loyola women’s volleyball team, and Jackson, who played on the men's basketball team at Bowling Green.
