Former AD Moran returning to UB
A month after resigning as Southern Connecticut State athletic director, Jay Moran is returning to a former home.
The University of Bridgeport announced Thursday that Moran has been hired as Vice President of Athletics. Moran served as Bridgeport athletic director from 2004 to 2014 before leaving for Southern Connecticut.
Moran, who also serves as mayor of Manchester, will work in an advisory role at Bridgeport before assuming his new job on July 1.
Bridgeport is set to move under the umbrella of East Hartford-based Goodwin University, which is purchasing the school and will run it as an independent university.
With rumors swirling last summer that Bridgeport was eliminating athletics, Moran reached out to Goodwin president Mark Scheinberg to offer advice. The conversations about UB’s athletics turned into a job offer.
“This shows a huge commitment to athletics,” Moran said. “This is exactly why I got involved. You build something … you’re committed. It means a lot to me. “I’m going home.”
The Bridgeport athletic programs have been shuttered because of COVID-19 and the school’s recent financial struggles led to cuts in the department. But hiring Moran — especially as a vice president — signals Goodwin’s desire to invest in sports.
“We are thrilled to bring Jay on board at this pivotal time for collegiate athletics and the University of Bridgeport,” Scheinberg said in a statement. “We are committed to hiring the best talent across every discipline, including athletics, to ensure UB’s success in the future.
“Jay is extremely well respected as a leader with more than three decades of experience in collegiate athletics. I can’t wait for him to join the team full time.”
Moran, a West Haven native and UConn graduate, began his college administration career at his alma mater in the 1980s. He later become the assistant athletic director for facilities, recreation and intramurals at St. Joseph College and served at the West Hartford school until he was hired as Albertus Magnus AD in 2002.
In Moran’s 10 years at UB, the school had 22 NCAA Tournament berths while investing in athletics with the construction of a new field and the revival of the athletic hall of fame. Moran oversaw a program at Southern that won two national titles and he hired Scott Burrell as men’s basketball coach in 2015.
In December, Moran announced he was stepping down a day after the Northeast-10 Conference canceled its winter season.
Now he’s back at UB, aiming to rebuild the department.
Moran does return to an athletic department with some recent success: the Purple Knights won the NCAA Division II title in 2018.
“I’m excited,” Moran said. “They have great coaches. We had to rebuild it in 2004 and we have to rebuild it again. … But there’s optimism.”
Moran said he has watched closely as Scheinberg built Goodwin from a storefront data institute school to a growing university located on a riverfront campus. After discussing Bridgeport and the school’s athletic history, he was convinced Goodwin’s ownership will help transform his old — and new — school.
“I really believe in Mark,” Moran said. “A piece of (Bridgeport) is in my heart from when I was there. I really think if there’s a guy who can turn UB around — and I think athletics will be a big part of that — it’s Mark.
“Talking to him, he understood the Purple Knight, the UB athletic pride, and what it meant. He’s a UConn donor, he gets it, what athletics does. He believes that athletics is a very important part of the university’s past and its future.”
Even after the job offer, Moran was unsure if he wanted to revisit that long commute from Manchester to Bridgeport. Ultimately, though, the lure of returning to a familiar place — “I’m going back to help my friends, basically,” he said — was too strong.
Plus, Moran returns to
Bridgeport with mandate from the owner of the school.
“By naming me vice president, it gets me at the table, the decision-making table,” Moran said. “But it also says that athletics needs to play a big role on campus. You’re not just going to be on the sideline.
“At this point in my career, after being AD at three different schools … just to be at the table I think is so important, for the head of athletics to be at the decision-making table. And that’s what he offered me. I think it’s exciting.”
Moran has one of the most unique resumes of any athletic administrator. He was first elected to the Manchester Board of Education in 2007. Two years later, he won a seat on the town’s Board of Directors and became Deputy Mayor in 2011.
In 2014, he became mayor when Leo Diana resigned to become a Superior Court Judge. Moran has retained the position as the top votegetter for the Board of Directors in the past three elections.
While Moran, a Democrat, is known in state political circles, he is also a visible figure in athletics. His connection to UConn is strong.
Among his supporters and friends: Dee Rowe, the legendary UConn men’s basketball coach who died Sunday.
“Biggest downfall of the week for me is not having Dee Rowe around to call,” Moran said. “It gets me pretty emotional. He was the first person to call you to congratulate. … This will be the first time in my 30 years that there’s a career change and there’s no Dee Rowe with a note or a call.”
Around Manchester, Moran is known as the town’s biggest cheerleader — enthusiastic, energetic, always positive. He’ll bring the same demeanor to Bridgeport, the school in need of a cheerleader.
In fact, he was excited to raid his old wardrobe as he spoke about his new job. It’s been six and half years since he worked at UB, but Moran still has five new Purple Knight jackets in his closet.
“They had new logos, but I gota new job and never wore them,” Moran said. “I just put them in the laundry. I’m ready to go. I can’t wait to wear them (Thursday).”