Graham Rossini
Graham Rossini joined Sun Devil Athletics in March 2021 as Senior Associate Athletics Director and was promoted in Fall 2023 to Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director and Chief Business Officer. He is an ASU alum and veteran of over 20 years in sports business at the MLB and Power 5 level.
Serving as a member of President Michael Crow’s University Council, University Management Team, and the Athletic Department’s Senior Leadership Team, Rossini is charged with the growth of Sun Devil Athletics’ external departments as ASU continues to Activate the Valley by driving new ticket sales, corporate partnerships, philanthropic contributions, and an increased focus on NIL, fan experience, and letterwinner outreach.
He also serves as a sports administrator for baseball, hockey and volleyball.
Since returning to Tempe, Rossini led the athletic department’s efforts to secure a 15-year naming rights partnership of Mountain America Stadium and a 10-year extension to the naming rights of Desert Financial Arena. He also oversees the relationship with adidas and is the liaison to the Valley’s professional teams, including the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, who began playing at ASU’s Mullett Arena during the 2022-23 season.
As a sports administrator, Rossini oversaw Sun Devil Wrestling, which won the 2022 Pac-12 title and finished fourth at the NCAA Championships, followed by a seventh place NCAA finish in 2023. He also served on the search committee that hired head baseball coach Willie Bloomquist (2021) and head volleyball coach JJ Van Niel (2022) while also negotiating a contract extension with head wrestling coach Zeke Jones (2022).
Rossini serves as a Big 12 transition team member as ASU, a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), prepares to join the new conference in August 2024. The expanded Big 12 positions Sun Devil Athletics nationally as the new conference footprint will cover all four time zones and includes broadcast distribution through ESPN and Fox on both linear television and streaming platforms.
His return to ASU followed 13 years with the Arizona Diamondbacks as Vice President of Special Projects & Fan Experience. He was responsible for several departments and revenue from ticketing, corporate partnerships, special events, food & beverage, and merchandise. In addition, Rossini oversaw the club’s fan experience, special events, alumni outreach, branding, and sustainability efforts.
Rossini also led over $300 million in capital projects during his time in MLB. He oversaw the design, construction, ticket sales, and marketing of Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the award-winning and LEED-Gold-certified Spring Training complex. The complex was a finalist for Sports Facility of the Year from Sports Business Journal and has received over 40 “best of” awards. The complex has led baseball in total and average attendance each season since opening in 2011. He was also responsible for the planning and design of the D-backs’ nearly completed Player Development and Education Academy in the Dominican Republic.
Additionally, he led the D-backs successful efforts to host the 2011 All-Star Game and the 2013 World Baseball Classic. He also coordinated the 2014 MLB Opening Series in Sydney, Australia, exhibition games in Mexico (2015 & 2019), and the winning bid that secured Phoenix as a host site for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Before joining the Diamondbacks, the Mobile, Ala., native spent five years as ASU’s Director of Baseball Operations. He was involved in two College World Series teams, two Pac-10 championships, and recruiting five top-five signing classes.
Rossini graduated Cum Laude with a B.S. and MBA from ASU’s W.P. Carey School of Business.
A passionate community supporter and advocate, Rossini has worked with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul as a member of “The Vinnies” since 2015 and is a past board member of TGen, Vitalant, Downtown Phoenix Partnership, Downtown Phoenix Warehouse District and the ASU Alumni Association. He is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Lincoln City FC, a member of the English Football League One.
In the summer of 2021, Rossini was selected to participate in the prestigious LEAD1 Institute, a professional development experience, and a cohort of top senior-level collegiate administrators. He has also been invited to participate in CALS (Collegiate Athletic Leadership Symposium) 22 and CALS 23. In addition, he is a recipient of Phoenix Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, and his work has been honored as MLB’s Hard Goods Retailer of the Year (2017), Green Sports Alliance’s Environmental Innovator of the Year (2018), and the Pac-12’s Environmental Innovator of the Year (2022).
Rossini is married to Alison Lund, an ASU Cronkite School alumna and Sun Devil Volleyball letterwinner. The couple resides in Phoenix with their son, Rhett, and daughter, Sofia.
