Penn State hires new athletic director post-Sandusky scandal

State College, Pa. — Penn State hired Boston College athletic director Patrick Kraft to be its next AD on Friday.

Kraft, 43, will take over for the retiring Sandy Barbour on July 1 after the Penn State Board of Trustees approved an agreement that had been in the works for several days.

Barbour, 62, announced in March that she would retire this summer after leading Penn State athletics for the past eight years. She also had previous stints as AD at Tulane and California during a long career in college sports.

Barbour took over as Penn State was emerging from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Sandusky was convicted in 2012 of the sexual abuse of 10 boys over a 15-year period and is serving a 30-year minimum sentence in prison.

“The University is world class, rich with tradition and has passionate fan support, and we will never stray from what has made the program great,” Kraft said in a statement. “My focus will be to provide the best experience for our student-athletes and staff, continue to grow our sports programs, and to enhance the best atmosphere in the Big Ten for our community and fans.”

The former Indiana football player has been leading Boston College’s athletic department for almost two years. Previously, he was athletic director at Temple for five years after serving two years at the Philadelphia school as a deputy AD.

“Along with having a bold vision for excellence and an impressive record of achievement, Pat values teamwork and cares above all about the success and development of student-athletes and coaches on and off the field,” Penn State president-elect Neeli Bendapudi said. “With Pat at the helm of our athletics department, the possibilities of what we can accomplish ahead are unlimited.”