Campus & Community

Tom Beckett Reappointed as Yale's Director of Athletics

President Richard C. Levin today announced the reappointment of Thomas A. Beckett to a second five-year term as the University’s Director of Athletics.
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President Richard C. Levin today announced the reappointment of Thomas A. Beckett to a second five-year term as the University’s Director of Athletics.

“Tom has worked tirelessly and effectively to revitalize Yale’s athletic facilities and to develop community outreach programs that link us with the young people of New Haven,” Levin said. “We are delighted that he has agreed to stay with us and build on his already impressive record of success at Yale.

“This appointment underscores the importance of athletics at Yale,” said Levin. “With the support of the coaches, athletes, and staff, Tom is building a solid foundation for his long-range goal of establishing Yale varsity teams as the ‘champions of champions’ within the Ivy League,” Levin said.

Yale is an NCAA Division I school and a competitor in the Ivy League and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference. As Athletic Director, Beckett oversees a budget of $17 million, a staff of 200, extensive athletic facilities, plus physical education and recreational programs including club sports and the University’s 33 varsity sports—among the highest number of any school in the nation. He is credited with building alumni support across the country for a new crew boathouse and for the $35 million renovation of Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

“We have made significant progress in many areas,” said Beckett, “and we have much more to do. Yale has a proud tradition of athletic success, and our goal is to add to this distinction. I look forward to working with everyone associated with Yale and Yale Athletics in the years ahead.”

Beckett, in his fourth academic year at Yale, has served as the University’s Athletic Director since 1994. During his tenure, varsity teams have won four Ivy Championships in each of the last two years. His community outreach efforts have secured an endowment which funds the Thomas W. Ford ‘42 Community Outreach Program, last spring’s Athletic Management Magazine award of excellence in community relations. In 1996, the department received a federal grant to implement a five-week summer day program that offered more than 300 New Haven children academic instruction and athletics opportunities. In addition, Yale athletes, coaches and staff have participated in visits to local hospitals, Olympic Youth Day, youth sports clinics, and donations of sports equipment to local youth agencies over the last four years.

A 1968 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, where he earned varsity letters in two sports, Beckett played professional baseball in the San Francisco Giants organization. He holds a master’s degree from his alma mater and a degree from the Harvard Institute of Life Science. He has coached at the University of Pittsburgh and participated in the administration of Stanford’s athletic program, which produced 32 NCAA national championships and seven NCAA “Champion of Champions” awards.

In addition to his formal title, Tom Beckett is also known on the New Haven campus as “Yale’s Biggest Fan”, a distinction which he earned with his presence at almost every home contest for the past four years. Beckett resides in Guilford with his wife Kim and son Alex.