March 13, 2006
ORLANDO - UCF deputy director of athletics William J. Weidner announced Monday the hiring of Brad Stricklin as UCF's assistant athletics director for business and finance. Stricklin comes to UCF from the Conference USA office, where he has worked as assistant commissioner for business affairs since July 2003. He began working for C-USA as the business manager in 1999. He is expected to report to his new post at UCF April 3.
"We are pleased to announce the naming of Brad Stricklin as assistant athletics director for business and finance," Weidner said. "During his seven-year tenure at Conference USA, Brad has earned the respect of the league membership in regards to his demonstrated ability to effectively manage and oversee the business affairs operations of Conference USA. His experience as an assistant commissioner at Conference USA in addition to his prior background as an assistant athletics director at Georgia Southern University will serve him well in his new position at UCF. On behalf of the University of Central Florida and our entire athletics department, we welcome Brad, his wife, Anne Marie, and their daughter, Sara, as the newest members of the Golden Knight family."
At Conference USA, Stricklin was responsible for developing and monitoring the annual budget for the league and maintaining all of its financial records. He also coordinated the move of the conference headquarters from Chicago to its current home in Irving, Texas and developed the financial models for the conference during its recent realignment.
"I'm looking forward to all the responsibilities associated with this job at UCF and being back in a campus setting," Stricklin said. "UCF athletics is experiencing a period of unprecedented growth and I'm excited about the days to come. I have really enjoyed my time with the Conference USA office and I believe there are great things ahead for the league. I'm happy that I will be able retain my association with the league through UCF's membership in C-USA."
Prior to accepting the job at Conference USA, Stricklin was as assistant athletics director at Georgia Southern University, where he worked in the athletics business office for four years. That was his second stint in Statesboro, Ga., having previously served as a graduate assistant at Georgia Southern while earning a master's degree in sport management.
After graduating from Georgia Southern, Stricklin worked for a year in the ticket office at the University of Florida and then spent five months in the office of research and graduate education at Florida before returning to GSU in a full-time capacity in athletics.
Stricklin got his start in college athletics as a student equipment manager at the University of Southern Mississippi. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration with an emphasis on accounting from USM in 1991.