Syracuse University hires Chris Presson as deputy athletic director
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Syracuse Athletics has hired Chris Presson as its deputy athletic director and chief commercial officer, SU announced in a press release Tuesday. Presson previously served as Rock Entertainment Group’s vice president of business operations and also held leadership roles across professional hockey, basketball and baseball.
Per the release, Presson will “align revenue generation, brand strategy, marketing, fan engagement, content creation, premium experiences and corporate partnerships into one integrated commercial strategy” at Syracuse. He’ll primarily oversee ticketing, partnerships and customer relations strategy. Presson will also help strengthen the Orange’s roots in New York City.
“The landscape of college athletics demands that we think differently about how we operate and generate revenue, and Chris is exactly the kind of experienced builder we need at this moment,” SU athletic director Bryan Blair wrote.
“Syracuse has a history and a fan base that most organizations could only dream of,” Presson wrote in the release. “Bryan’s vision and energy combined with the opportunity to build something new here, to bring a professional sports approach to how we connect with fans and grow revenue, is what drew me to this role. I’m ready to get to work.”
At Rock Entertainment, Presson oversaw the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, American Hockey League’s Cleveland Monsters, NBA G League’s Cleveland Charge and WNBA expansion franchise Cleveland Sirens in business operations. He helped the Cavaliers break revenue and partnerships records in the 2024-25 campaign — which included a 170-game home sellout streak.
Previously, Presson helped launch the Northern Arizona Suns, the Phoenix Suns’ G League affiliate, in 2016. He later served as the CEO of the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton Elks from 2019-21, which included guiding the franchise through the COVID-19 pandemic and a rebrand.
“We conducted a broad search because we intend to build something different at Syracuse,” Blair wrote. “Chris has spent nearly 30 years in professional sports building teams, growing businesses and finding creative ways to generate revenue, most recently as part of one of the NBA’s most successful business operations.”
Last year, SU football ranked 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference in average attendance (38,605 fans) amid a 3-9 campaign. Syracuse men’s basketball ranked second in the conference (17,725 fans), but it also has the ACC’s biggest arena, the JMA Wireless Dome.
