PODCAST: MSU AD Greg Ianni! Go Inside College Sports!
Michigan State Deputy Athletic Director Greg Ianni announced his plans for a 2019 retirement on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Ianni, who has worked in the Spartan athletic department since 1993, will retire from his current duties effective January 31, 2019, and will work in an advisory capacity for the Athletic Director for the remainder of his contract, which ends June 30, 2019.
In his current role, Ianni oversees the Spartans' athletic facilities and works towards the development of long-range plans for improving those sites. In addition to his facilities duties, Ianni administers event management for all sports, as well as equipment, IT and human resources. He also serves as the sport supervisor for men's and women's golf and assists with football.
"The past 26 years have been an amazing ride of challenges, victories, defeats and memorable experiences," Ianni said. "But above everything else, what I will remember most are the incredible people I have been blessed to work with. I've been planning this retirement for a couple years now, and the time is right for me and my family to look forward to the next adventure in our lives."
"On behalf of the entire Michigan State Athletic Department I'd like to thank Greg Ianni for his many years of service," MSU Athletic Director Bill Beekman said. "He's provided outstanding leadership for the department and has played an instrumental role in the construction and renovation of our first-class athletic facilities. We wish him, his wife Jamie and the entire Ianni family many years of happiness in their newest life chapter."
A 1975 graduate of Michigan State, where he earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in baseball in 1973, Ianni returned to his alma mater in 1993. His two children, Allison (volleyball, 2006) and Anthony (men's basketball, 2012) earned varsity letters at Michigan State.
During his tenure, Ianni has been instrumental in shaping the face of Michigan State athletics, overseeing renovations of Spartan Stadium, Jenison Field House, Munn Ice Arena, the football practice fields, and the men's and women's basketball locker rooms, as well as construction of the Skandalaris Football Center, the North End Zone Project at Spartan Stadium, the Clara Bell Smith Academic Center, the Berkowitz Basketball Complex, the Lasch Golf Center and the Gilbert Pavilion/Izzo Hall of History. The Old College Field project, which featured new homes for soccer (DeMartin Stadium), baseball (McLane Stadium) and softball (Secchia Stadium) in MSU's most historic venue, was completed in 2011.
Among some of the larger projects, the Gilbert Pavilion/Izzo Hall of History was a $20 million dollar project that gave the Breslin Center a true featured entrance. The North End Zone project at Spartan Stadium was a $24.5 million renovation featuring a two-story, 50,000 square foot addition including new locker rooms and an engagement center for all sports. A $64 million Spartan Stadium expansion project completed prior to the start of the 2005 football season featured the addition of nearly 3,000 seats, including 24 suites and a 193-seat press box.
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