Vice President for Athletics Zack Lassiter joined Abilene Christian University in November 2021 and has led Athletics in successful growth.
Formerly the deputy athletics director for external operations at Oregon State University, Lassiter made an immediate impact at ACU.
At ACU
Spring 2021: In Spring 2021, the ACU men's basketball team made its second appearance in March Madness, earning its first win in the NCAA Tournament by defeating The University of Texas at Austin in the East Regional. Both men's and women's basketball teams previously played in the NCAA Tournament in 2019, and the women defeated Oklahoma State University in the first round of the 2017 WNIT.
The Wildcats have also competed in NCAA regional or national tournaments in women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, and men's and women's track and field.
2021-22: Among the voluminous list of 2022 accomplishments, Lassiter oversaw the addition of the women's golf program. The department saw increased investment in the coaching staff and strength and conditioning staffing and brought creative services and a development team member in-house.
ACU won WAC championships in men's tennis and men's golf. and had a runner-up finish in women’s track and field. Men’s Basketball and baseball advanced to the WAC Championship Game.
The $50 million Moody Coliseum renovation was completed and facility improvements were made in football, tennis, baseball and softball. The student-athlete GPA was at its highest point in 10 years, season ticket sales increased, student attendance at events rose 160 percent and diversity in athletic leadership took a positive step.
Abilene Christian launched ACU Advantage, a comprehensive spiritual and leadership development program for coaches and staff.
ACU also boasted two WAC Coaches of the Year: Tom Shaw in men's golf and Juan Nunez in men's tennis.
2022-23: ACU established a new record 3.35 grade point average by its scholar-athletes, including three University Scholars.
ACU Athletics broke all-time donor and giving records in ACU Gives. ACU formed strategic partnerships with Under Armor, Teamworks and VIO Sports Getaway.
ACU's successful 2022-23 season included two Western Athletic Conference Players of the Year, a WAC Coach of the Year (Keith Patterson), and ACU's first national qualifier in indoor track of the Division I era.
Facility improvements were made, including upgrades to the Wally Bullington Football Practice Fields. The Wildcat football team played for the WAC Championship in the final week of the season and had its best record since moving to Division I.
Before ACU
At Oregon State, Lassiter oversaw all external athletics units, including marketing, communications, ticket sales and ideation, as well as partnerships with Beaver Sports Properties, Nike and the Pac-12 Network. He also served as the sports supervisor for men's basketball and golf.
Lassiter improved ties between academic and athletics departments at OSU and the local business community, and he led the creation of the nation's first in-house advertising and creative agency in intercollegiate sports. That approach increased awareness of the Beavers' brand and led to new marketing and ticketing programs resulting in OSU being one of only two Division I programs in 2016-17 to sell out a home game in football, baseball and men's and women's basketball.
During Lassiter's tenure at Oregon State, its athletics teams experienced great success. The men's basketball program made two NCAA Tournament appearances, including its first Pac-12 Tournament Championship and a run to the Elite Eight in 2021. The women's basketball team made five NCAA appearances, including a Final Four in 2016 and three additional appearances in the Sweet 16. The baseball team made two trips to the College World Series and won the 2018 national championship. This past season, 11 OSU teams made postseason appearances.
Lassiter went to OSU from the University of Central Florida, where he served three years as a member of the athletics executive management team overseeing brand management, ticket sales and operations, marketing, promotions, communications, licensing and merchandising. Under his leadership, ticket sales increased by 25 percent and UCF was recognized as the top athletics department in the nation for customer service.
From 2005 to early 2012, he held several positions at the University of Utah and was part of the team that helped transition the Utes from the Mountain West Conference to the PAC-12 Conference. He started as the director of ticket sales and was the associate athletic director for revenue generation when he left for UCF.
Lassiter's professional career began as an assistant ticket manager at the University of North Carolina from 2001-03. He held a similar role at Louisiana State University for two years.
Along the way, he has been on administrative teams for football programs that have won three BCS bowl games – the 2004 national championship (LSU), the 2009 Sugar Bowl (Utah) and the 2014 Fiesta Bowl (UCF).
Lassiter earned bachelor's degrees in economics and political science from Willamette University (1998), and a master's degree in sports administration from the University of North Carolina (2002). He and his wife, Rachel, have two sons, Luke and Logan.
"I was immediately drawn to the mission of ACU to educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world," Lassiter said. "This opportunity allows me to align my personal and professional values, and work for one of the best presidents in the nation in Dr. Phil Schubert. My family and I are so excited to join the Wildcat family. ACU Athletics has enjoyed great success since joining Division I, and I know we are just getting started."
Only four universities, including Stanford, USC and UCLA, have won more national team championships than Abilene Christian. The Wildcats have 64, led by its heritage-rich track and field program, which has generated 39 Olympians, a Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year, and was named Texas Sports Dynasty of the Century by Texas Monthly magazine in 1999.
