Siegrist was named USF Associate Athletic Director for Communications in August of 2013 after spending the previous 18 years in the Penn State Athletics Department in a dual role of communications and creative direction. In 2021, Siegrist added administration of USF broadcasting efforts to his portfolio – including oversight of streaming of approximately 180 events a year, including all home athletic contests to the ESPN+ platform, as well as a digital radio station, terrestrial radio broadcasts and broadcast talent.
As a member of the USF Athletics senior staff, Siegrist is a member of the senior external leadership team, leads communications and broadcasting efforts, develops and executive produces Athletics television shows, and is intimately involved in brand development, social and digital strategy, and corporate partner relations efforts for the University’s 21 sports programs. He has primary oversight of communications for the Bulls’ football and lacrosse programs, the Vice President for Athletics and department communications, crisis communications, and serves as the liaison with University communications.
Siegrist previously oversaw USF Athletics social media and digital communications efforts where he directed three website redesigns and moved the department’s website partnership to SIDEARM Sports. He oversaw growth of USF Football social channels from 18,000 followers on Twitter (X) on his arrival to over 134,000, the launching of the program’s Instagram channel (now over 60,000 followers), and the doubling of Facebook followers to nearly 40,000. Siegrist also previously oversaw all USF Athletics photography for 10 years, growing it exponentially during that time. After expanding a freelance pool to more than 15 regular contributes, he started the department's first in-house photography unit, expanding to two in-house photographers, developing studio spaces and in-house marketing shoots, implementing an industry leading digital asset management system, increasing the annual budget and expanding coverage to all home events as well as recruit photography for all USF Athletics programs outside of football.
Siegrist was honored with a Suncoast Regional Emmy (2018) and a Sports Video Group (SVG) Outstanding Program Series Award (2017) for his development and executive production of the USF football television. He was part of the committee that planned and constructed Athletics’ $2 million television studio (2019), initiated and manages partnerships with INFLCR (2018) and Meltwater Media Monitoring & Social Listening (2015) platforms, and helped launch Bulls Unlimited 1 and 2, just the second digital radio channels in collegiate athletics. He serves on the department’s Hall of Fame committee and was a part of the small group that redeveloped and relaunched the USF Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, inducting the first class in six years.
He has overseen the public introduction and media tours for two directors of athletics, three football head coaches and three men's basketball head coaches. Siegrist was an integral member of the committee that ideated and established the War On I-4 rivalry series with UCF and its accompanying trophies, and has served as host media coordinator for two NCAA Women’s Final Fours (2014 & 2019), the NCAA Men’s Basketball First & Second Round (2020), NCAA Track & Field East Regional (2018) and as part of the communications team for the NCAA Frozen Four.
During his tenure, which began in head coach Willie Taggart’s first season, he has been part of helping build the football program from two wins in his first year on campus to the two winningest seasons in USF football history, seeing the Bulls finish 11-2 (2016) and 10-2 (2017) and in the AP Top 25 twice, the first postseason ranking appearances in program history. He helped 2016 AAC Offensive Player of the Year Quinton Flowers to gain national exposure with numerous media outlets and be featured on ESPN GameDay, while also promoting the program’s first Lou Groza Award finalist, Marvin Kloss, and second-ever consensus first-team All-American, Brian Battie.
A veteran of nearly 30 years in collegiate athletics, Siegrist came to USF after an 18-year tenure at Penn State University where he was promoted five times and served in varying capacities in the Athletic Communications office from 1995 to 2013. Siegrist was promoted to Associate Director of Communications in 2011 and served a dual role as Creative Director for the department from 2005-2013, creating the department’s first in-house creative design and photography units. The primary contact for the men’s basketball program for his final eight seasons and the lone secondary contact for the football program for 14 seasons, Siegrist worked closely with one of the largest collegiate media followings in the nation and hundreds of national television broadcasts.
Siegrist worked closely with Penn State football teams that won two Big Ten championships, played in the 2009 Rose Bowl and 2006 Orange Bowl, made eight New Year’s Day bowl appearances, produced 17 first team All-America selections, 10 first round NFL Draft picks and were ranked among the top five in the nation under legendary coach Joe Paterno. The men’s basketball program won the 2009 NIT Championship and reached the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
Siegrist helped coordinate numerous national award campaigns highlighted by a Heisman Trophy finalist, winners of two Bednarik Awards, the Butkus Award, the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Award, the Doak Walker Award, the Rimington Trophy, the Burlsworth Trophy, the Big Ten’s Football MVP, Football Defensive Player of the Year, Receiver of the Year, Linebacker of the Year, Offensive and Defensive Linemen of the Year and Freshman of the Year Awards, the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, Big Ten Men’s Basketball Freshman of the Year, and the Hodge Award presented to the top collegiate wrestler in the nation. The Penn State program made regular appearances on the covers of national publications such as Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News and twice hosted ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast on campus.
Siegrist was integral in the development and projection of the nationally recognized Penn State athletic brand. He formed and directed an in-house creative unit with administration of department photography and digital and print design collateral for all 31 sports after previously serving as the department’s primary graphic designer for more than a decade. Siegrist also provided direction in the development of football and basketball coaches television shows, recruiting sites, facility brand enhancement projects and the redesign of GoPSUsports.com.
During his tenure at Penn State, Siegrist also served as the primary contact for the Nittany Lions nationally recognized wrestling program as well as its highly successful track and field, cross country and men’s and women’s gymnastics programs. He served as the media coordinator for the 1999 NCAA Wrestling Championships, working with more than 300 media members covering the three-day event. He has served as media coordinator for numerous Big Ten and Big Eight Conference championship events, served as a media assistant at the Big Ten (2000-04) and Big Eight (1993-95) basketball tournaments and assisted in the media coordination of the 2003 EDS Byron Nelson Classic PGA golf tournament.
Siegrist was named the 2002 National Wrestling Association Wrestling SID/Publicist of the Year and has won numerous CoSIDA “Best In The Nation” awards as well as had many publications recognized among the best in collegiate athletics for his design and layout work.
Siegrist also served as the public relations/marketing chair for the Penn State Coaches vs. Cancer organization for 11 years coordinating publicity, promotion, marketing and a year-round event schedule for a CVC program that raised over $2 million.
A 1994 graduate of Kansas State University, Siegrist graduated Summa Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and outside concentration in marketing. He started his career in public relations as a student assistant and then graduate assistant in the Kansas State Athletics Department where he was the primary contact for women’s volleyball, tennis, and men’s and women’s track and field as well as working closely with the football and men’s basketball programs. He began at Penn State in 1995 as a communications/publications intern and was subsequently promoted to Communications/Publications Assistant in 1997, Assistant Director/Publications Coordinator in 1999, Assistant Director/Creative Director in 2005 and Associate Director in 2011.
