Former Deputy Director Returns To San Diego State Athletics To Lead Development Efforts

By Editor, Times of San Diego

February 27, 2023

Bob Moosbrugger will return to San Diego State as executive associate athletic director for development, the department has announced.

In a statement, SDSU said the hire was needed due to the “transformative moment in the history of San Diego State,” which includes fundraising efforts related to campus expansion and an upcoming facilities improvement campaign.

“Based on our immediate need for experience and excellence in the areas of executive level leadership, capital project fundraising and innovative fundraising strategies, I am thrilled to announce that Bob is returning to the Mesa,” said Athletic Director John David Wicker, who also noted that Moosbrugger has relationships that date back 20 years in San Diego.

Coming off a six-year stint as the director of athletics and recreation at his alma mater, Bowling Green, in Ohio, Moosbrugger’s new role with SDSU athletics includes serving as the lead development officer for the department.

He will work closely with campus partners within University Relations and Development and other revenue generation units of SDSU athletics to maximize funding opportunities for the department, officials said.

“Nearly 15 years of my life has been invested in San Diego State, and I could not be happier to help move SDSU athletics forward,” Moosbrugger said.

In his last year at Bowling Green, Moosbrugger led a team that raised more than $4.5 million, setting records for the amount of scholarship dollars raised and total number of donors.

The athletic department also saw success on the field and in the classroom under his leadership. In 2022, student-athletes had the highest cumulative GPA (3.44) in school history. The school also captured six championships in 2020-21, the most in one year since 1982-83.

During his previous tenure with SDSU as deputy director of athletics/chief operating officer, he managed several units while acting as the sport administrator for Aztec football and men’s basketball. In his development role, he led a fundraising team that raised over $78 million for San Diego State.

He joined SDSU in March of 2000, beginning as the assistant director for the Aztec Athletic Foundation. He was promoted to assistant athletic director/director of the Aztec Foundation in 2004. From there, he was named the director of business development at the San Diego International Sports Council, serving from 2006-07, before returning to the Aztecs as associate athletic director for development.

Moosbrugger was an assistant ticket manager and athletic ticket manager at Fresno State from 1996-2000. He was an intern/graduate assistant at Ball State from 1994-96.

A baseball student-athlete at Bowling Green, Moosbrugger earned the team’s Don Woods Award as the top freshman in 1991 and was a two-year letter winner. He is a native of Celina, Ohio and has two sons, Andrew and Vincent, with wife Esther.

Last month, Curt Apsey, the current executive associate athletic director for development, announced that he would retire in the spring. Moosbrugger, set to start March 6, will work with Apsey until he departs.

Times of San Diego is an independent online news site covering the San Diego metropolitan area. Our journalists report on politics, crime, business, sports, education, arts, the military and everyday life in San Diego. No subscription is required, and you can sign up for a free daily newsletter with a summary of the latest news.