Brett Simpson

After spending 15 years climbing the ranks of the Loyola athletic department, Brett Simpson was promoted to Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on August 1, 2014.

Soon after receiving his new appointment, Simpson launched an ambitious plan to grow the Wolf Pack Athletic Department into one of most robust in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).  He inherited a department that boasted 14 sports and 147 student athletes. With the addition of men’s and women’s swimming and competitive cheer and dance in 2016-17, the Wolf Pack grew to 18 intercollegiate sports and over 230 student athletes.  He hopes to continue this growth to nearly 300 student athletes by 2020.

During the 2017-18 school year, Simpson oversaw a department that broke records in both athletics and academics. Loyola Athletics set a school record with 247 points in the Learfield Directors’ Cup which awards points based on a school’s success in the NAIA National Championships, while also setting a 10-year high for student-athlete GPA at 3.175. The Wolf Pack placed a Loyola-best 58 student-athletes on the All-Conference Academic Teams in 2017-18, with 17 teams, an SSAC-best, earning NAIA Scholar-Team honors.

Student-athlete experience is at the forefront of Simpson’s plan to grow intercollegiate athletics.  The University secured a $1.5 million gift from First NBC Bank to name the game court in the University Sports Complex.  Simpson oversaw a renovation that added upgrades to the facility’s bleachers, game court, weight room, offices, and meeting spaces.

Simpson is instrumental in the national landscape of the NAIA.  He was recently appointed to the National Administrative Council (NAC) for a three-year term beginning in the summer of 2017.  The NAC consists of three dozen members representing all NAIA conferences and 250 institutions in the NAIA. The group shapes policy at the highest level of the NAIA.  He also serves as the Chairman of the Southern States Athletic Director Committee. Simpson has also been a member of the league’s marketing committee and led a task force to review annual awards given by the conference.

The 2018-19 academic year marks Simpson’s 22nd with the department. Prior to being named Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Simpson held the position of Associate Athletic Director for nine years. In that role, Simpson coordinated the day-to-day operations of Wolf Pack athletics, had direct supervision of 10 intercollegiate sports, and oversaw the external affairs of the department.

In handling the operations of the department, Simpson created and administered student-athlete assessments, developed learning outcomes and produced reports in preparation for SACS reaccreditation. He worked to create and execute a plan to expand the athletic department by adding men’s and women’s tennis as well as men’s and women’s golf. Loyola increased the number of student-athletes from 78 since 2007, while maintaining a retention rate over 90%.

Simpson served as Assistant Athletic Director from 1999-2005, where he was primarily responsible for marketing and media relations. He also played baseball for the Wolf Pack as a student, and later accepted a position as an assistant coach, a position he held until 2011.

As an assistant coach and a player for Loyola, Simpson was instrumental in the resurrection of the program. The 2000 squad set the record for most wins in a season in the 44-year history of the program with 35. The 2002 squad won the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and qualified for their first ever NAIA Regional. He also coached the first player to be drafted since the reinstatement of the program with David Lindsey’s selection by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th round in 2000.

During his playing days for the Loyola baseball team, Simpson earned four letters as an outfielder for the Wolf Pack. He was co-captain for the 1995 and 1996 squads. In 1996, he was the starting left fielder on the first Loyola baseball team to reach post-season play since the reinstatement of athletics back in 1991.

In addition to his experience at Loyola, he acted as chairman of the baseball committee for the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC), and served as the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Site Supervisor for the Baseball National Championships Opening Round on three occasions.

Simpson has also assisted with the media relations staff of the Allstate Sugar Bowl/BCS Championship and Nike at the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. He was appointed to the alumni board at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, Louisiana and belongs to various professional and civic organizations.

Simpson graduated from Loyola in 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications/public relations and went on to receive a Master of Business Administration from the University in 2003