Rich Zvosec joined the athletics staff at UCF in March 2021 as deputy athletics director for internal operations. Zvosec came to Orlando after eight years at Arkansas State, most recently serving as deputy director of athletics under Terry Mohajir, now director of athletics at UCF.
At UCF, Zvosec (pronounced zuh-VOH-sec) oversees the jobs program and the areas of sports performance, nutrition, sports science and TV/video services. He also serves as sport administrator for the Knights’ football, men’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s track and field programs.
His tenure at Arkansas State featured delivering on a guarantee that every student-athlete who graduated earned a job opportunity or admission to graduate school. The Red Wolves achieved that 100% guarantee each time in his eight years there—and he will oversee a similar program at UCF under the banner of the Knights Leadership Academy.
Zvosec’s years at Arkansas State included 24 league championships (four Sun Belt Conference titles and eight straight bowl qualifications in football), record-breaking fundraising totals, significant facility upgrades and major increases in the athletics budget as Arkansas State enjoyed unprecedented overall success academically, competitively and financially.
In addition to his role within the Red Wolves athletics department, Zvosec also worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports. His basketball head coaching resume included stops at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2001-07), Millersville (Pennsylvania) University (1997-98), University of North Florida (1991-97) and St. Francis (New York) College (1988-91).
Zvosec has received awards in the coaching field as well as the television community. In 2005 he became one of only 35 active college basketball coaches to be selected coach of the year in two different Division I conferences at two separate schools. That year he was selected the Mid-Continent Conference, College Insider and CBS Sportsline coach of the year for his team's performance at UMKC.
At 27, he was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country at St. Francis. In his third season, the Terriers recorded their most wins in two decades (and first winning season since 1978) and he was named the 1991 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year. He then built the North Florida program from scratch. In the program’s fourth season, he led the Ospreys to the championship game of the Sunshine State Conference tournament. Along the way his team knocked off three nationally ranked teams.
His tenure at UMKC produced historic wins and results. Not only is he the all-time winningest coach, but he also has the most tournament wins as well as the longest winning streak in school history. He led the Kangaroos to their first win over Kansas State, a 41-point victory that was the fifth-largest margin of victory in school history and the program’s 200th win. He also had the second-highest winning percentage in the Mid-Continent Conference during his six seasons.
A basketball analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS College Sports, he has written two books--Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos (Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball) and For Tiger Fans Only. He has appeared in numerous feature films and television shows and has become a mainstay in the commercial industry and the motivational speaking business. In 2001 he received a Telly.
Zvosec is married to Sandra Lanahan, Hall of Fame lacrosse player at the University of Maryland and former lacrosse head coach at Loyola University. They have three children--Colin, Devin, and Kailey.
At UCF, Zvosec (pronounced zuh-VOH-sec) oversees the jobs program and the areas of sports performance, nutrition, sports science and TV/video services. He also serves as sport administrator for the Knights’ football, men’s basketball, women’s cross country and women’s track and field programs.
His tenure at Arkansas State featured delivering on a guarantee that every student-athlete who graduated earned a job opportunity or admission to graduate school. The Red Wolves achieved that 100% guarantee each time in his eight years there—and he will oversee a similar program at UCF under the banner of the Knights Leadership Academy.
Zvosec’s years at Arkansas State included 24 league championships (four Sun Belt Conference titles and eight straight bowl qualifications in football), record-breaking fundraising totals, significant facility upgrades and major increases in the athletics budget as Arkansas State enjoyed unprecedented overall success academically, competitively and financially.
In addition to his role within the Red Wolves athletics department, Zvosec also worked as a college basketball analyst for ESPN and Fox Sports. His basketball head coaching resume included stops at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2001-07), Millersville (Pennsylvania) University (1997-98), University of North Florida (1991-97) and St. Francis (New York) College (1988-91).
Zvosec has received awards in the coaching field as well as the television community. In 2005 he became one of only 35 active college basketball coaches to be selected coach of the year in two different Division I conferences at two separate schools. That year he was selected the Mid-Continent Conference, College Insider and CBS Sportsline coach of the year for his team's performance at UMKC.
At 27, he was the youngest NCAA Division I head coach in the country at St. Francis. In his third season, the Terriers recorded their most wins in two decades (and first winning season since 1978) and he was named the 1991 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year. He then built the North Florida program from scratch. In the program’s fourth season, he led the Ospreys to the championship game of the Sunshine State Conference tournament. Along the way his team knocked off three nationally ranked teams.
His tenure at UMKC produced historic wins and results. Not only is he the all-time winningest coach, but he also has the most tournament wins as well as the longest winning streak in school history. He led the Kangaroos to their first win over Kansas State, a 41-point victory that was the fifth-largest margin of victory in school history and the program’s 200th win. He also had the second-highest winning percentage in the Mid-Continent Conference during his six seasons.
A basketball analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS College Sports, he has written two books--Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos (Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball) and For Tiger Fans Only. He has appeared in numerous feature films and television shows and has become a mainstay in the commercial industry and the motivational speaking business. In 2001 he received a Telly.
Zvosec is married to Sandra Lanahan, Hall of Fame lacrosse player at the University of Maryland and former lacrosse head coach at Loyola University. They have three children--Colin, Devin, and Kailey.