John Heisler

Longtime intercollegiate athletics media relations and communications veteran John Heisler joined the UCF Knights athletics staff as senior associate athletics director for strategic communications in July of 2019.

UCF vice president and director of athletics Danny White made the announcement today. Heisler had been assisting UCF as a consultant since April.

Heisler is responsible for overseeing the Knights’ strategic communications department and the continued advancement of the UCF brand on the national stage.

Heisler previously spent more than 40 years as a member of the University of Notre Dame athletics staff. He most recently served 14 years as senior associate athletics director in South Bend. His tenure there also included 16 years as the university’s sports information director beginning in 1988. He added the title of assistant athletics director in 1995 and became an associate athletics director in 2001.

“We’re excited that John will be bringing his collegiate athletics experience, expertise and extensive contacts to UCF on a full-time basis,” White said. “He provides a wide breadth of knowledge to our organization as we continue to build a top 25 intercollegiate athletics department.”

Working in the areas of media relations, broadcast properties and contest scheduling at Notre Dame, Heisler also served as sport administrator for men’s lacrosse for more than two decades (and previously for women’s lacrosse). He served two years as the Division I administrator on the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association board of directors.

He has worked 30 college football bowl games and assisted in the administration of the research operation at two Summer Olympic Games (once for ABC, once for NBC). He has provided color commentary on both television and radio for Notre Dame athletic events and won a Telly Award for his video production work.

Heisler has written, co-written or edited 11 books (all but one of those on Notre Dame football), one of them a New York Times bestseller. He has been responsible for production of Notre Dame’s acclaimed “Strong of Heart” publication (annually featuring a series of stories about individuals connected to Notre Dame athletics) that three times has been voted “best in the nation,” including in 2019.

A member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame, Heisler helped originate a writing contest for that organization. Among his many awards have been citations from the Heisman Memorial Trophy Trust, the Indiana Sportswriters & Sportscasters Association and the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley. Notre Dame honored him with its special presidential award, and the Notre Dame Monogram Club presented him with an honorary monogram.

A native of South Bend, Indiana, Heisler is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.