Colorado State University President Amy Parsons appointed John Weber as the Rams’ 21st director of athletics on Thursday, following Weber’s four months serving as the interim AD.
“I’ve worked closely with John during his time as interim AD and am confident that he has the vision, experience and skills necessary to lead Ram Athletics into the future,” Parsons said. “John is bringing a fresh approach to the way we provide support and resources to all our programs and student-athletes, is seeking innovative ways to increase revenue so that our programs are financially strong and viable, and is thinking creatively about enhancements to our fan experiences and in-game activations.”
In the short time as interim athletic director, Weber helped secure an agreement to retain men’s basketball coach Niko Medved, expanded revenue-generation opportunities for the department and built strong connections with Fort Collins and along the Front Range.
“I am grateful to President Amy Parsons for entrusting me to lead our department as the world of college athletics is in a period of significant transformation,” Weber said. “I have already gained valuable insight on the steps we need to take to make Colorado State Athletics the most loved and most watched program in the state, the region, the conference and beyond! That process will take a commitment from all of us inside and outside the department working together to build championship moments.”
Connections to CSU
Weber’s ties to CSU are significant. An alum of Colorado State, Weber’s post-graduate accomplishments and work on behalf of the university have included serving as the chairperson for the College of Business’ Global Leadership Council (GLC), acting as an advisor to the athletics department’s RAM Life program for student-athlete development, and serving as the executive director of the Green and Gold Guard collective.
An accomplished businessman, Weber’s engineering background led him through a successful career in the private sector culminating in his role as the president and chief executive officer of Long Range Systems. Weber retired from the role in 2020 and has served the university in various capacities since.
As Weber continues to lead the department in a full-time role, he has brought on seasoned college sports veteran Scott Sidwell to serve as deputy athletic director and chief operating officer. Sidwell most recently served as deputy athletic director at Penn State.
“Scott brings a great amount of experience and knowledge to our athletic department,” Weber said. “He knows how to run external operations and drive revenue, and he has led strong teams at a variety of universities across the country. I look forward to welcoming Scott and his family to Fort Collins.”
Sidwell’s background
Prior to spending his time in State College, Sidwell was director of athletics at the University of San Francisco from 2011-19. He pushed forward improvements across all the university’s athletic facilities and helped support success across all sports.
“I am thrilled to join the Colorado State University team at such a pivotal time in higher education and intercollegiate athletics,” Sidwell said. “Our family has deep ties to Colorado, and we couldn’t be happier to be a part of the community of Fort Collins and the Northern Colorado region. President Parsons and John Weber have a great vision for the future, which includes tremendous student-athletes and a strong commitment to the campus and Fort Collins communities. I am excited to be a part of this wonderful team at a great brand in Colorado State. Go Rams!”
A former student-athlete himself, Sidwell played college baseball his first two years at Brown University before transferring for his final two seasons at Tulane University. He was an assistant coach for the Green Wave for two years before jumping into sports administration.
Finally, Weber also announced he is building a collection of trusted creative thinkers within the intercollegiate athletic sphere who will engage with him regularly to share innovative ideas, leadership experience and critical thinking to help advance CSU Athletics. Further details about this group will be announced in the near future.
“I look forward to working with a well-respected, accomplished and successful group of professionals who love CSU,” said Weber. “This group will be instrumental in identifying innovative ways to more actively engage and support our student-athletes, coaches and department as we commit to our championship future!”
