St. John's University Athletics
Staff Directory
Ed Kull
- Title:
- Vice President and Director of Athletics
A native New Yorker, St. John’s alumnus and gifted administrator with a proven track record of success, Ed Kull was named the eighth Vice President and Director of Athletics in the history of St. John’s University in September of 2024.
Kull’s first year guiding the Red Storm was one of the most memorable in the University’s proud athletic history. Kull’s leadership helped elevate the men’s basketball program, as the Red Storm matched a school record with 31 victories and won both the BIG EAST Regular Season and BIG EAST Tournament titles. The Johnnies’ outright regular season championship was the program’s first since 1985 while the conference postseason crown was the first for the Red Storm since 2000.
Leaning on his extensive background in external relations, Kull helped maximize the Red Storm’s success when it came to driving ticket sales and attendance. The Johnnies, who went 18-0 at home during 2024-25, sold out seven of their nine games at Carnesecca Arena. At “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” the Red Storm sold out (19,812) each of its final three regular season games and saw two more games break the 18,000-ticket mark. The Johnnies’ average regular season attendance of 16,994 at Madison Square Garden was the program’s highest in several decades. For good measure, all three sessions of the BIG EAST Tournament that featured St. John’s also sold out “The Mecca.”
In 2025-26, St. John’s is scheduled to host 12 regular season games at Madison Square Garden, the highest such total for the program since 1951-52.
A prolific fundraiser, has accelerated the Red Storm’s efforts on that front, overseeing a re-seat of season ticket holder locations at both Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden that has greatly increased philanthropic giving to the department. In addition, Kull has also made the most of traditional revenue generating opportunities, increasing sponsorship opportunities and leveraging the Red Storm’s brand recognition in the world capital of arts, media and entertainment.
Following the settlement in House v. NCAA that paved the way for revenue sharing in college athletics, Kull immediately established the Red Storm Investment Legacy Fund, which allows supporters to directly contribute to the Johnnies’ efforts on that front. Kull has also orchestrated St. John’s post-House revenue sharing strategy, aiming to solidify the Red Storm’s position at the forefront of this new era of college athletics.
This past summer, Kull spearheaded an agreement to outfit all 17 of the Red Storm’s varsity teams in adidas footwear, uniforms, accessories and apparel.
St. John's student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom during Kull's first year in Queens, as the Johnnies turned in a 3.58 cumulative GPA during the 2024-25 academic year while six teams earned a perfect Graduation Success Rate and three more exceeded the NCAA average for their respective sport. Four programs (baseball, women's golf, women's tennis and volleyball) earned the prestigious BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award. 69% of student-athletes finished with a GPA of 3.5 or better while 113 turned in at least one semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Kull came home to Queens following a successful stint as the athletic director at Fordham. Appointed as the department’s interim director in April of 2020 before taking over the full-time post in February of 2021, Kull took incredible steps to transform Fordham Athletics during his relatively brief tenure.
In the spring of 2021, Kull hired Kyle Neptune, then a Villanova assistant, to lead a men’s basketball program that had gone 45-95 over the previous five seasons, including a 2-12 mark in 2020-21. In his lone year at the helm, Neptune led the Rams to a 16-16 record and an appearance in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals for the first time in 15 years. After Villanova hired Neptune to replace Hall of Famer Jay Wright that spring, Kull promoted Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo to lead the program following a national search. Kull’s belief in Urgo paid immediate dividends, as the 2022-23 Rams went 25-8, including a 12-6 A-10 mark to tie for second in the final conference standings. The Rams advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament for just the second time in nearly 30 years of league membership before Kull inked Urgo to a long-term extension. The men’s basketball team’s 54 wins in Kull’s three years as the permanent athletic director are the program’s highest three-year win total since 1990-93 when Fordham was a member of the Patriot League.
In addition to the team’s turnaround on the court, Kull was also instrumental in revamping the culture surrounding Fordham Basketball and Fordham Athletics in general. Prior to his departure, the Rams concluded their third straight fiscal year with a record fundraising total, including a $7.6 million figure in 2023-24 that was more than $2.5 million higher than the previous year’s mark. Those aforementioned totals do not include a long-term pledge to Fordham Football from an anonymous donor totaling $10 million.
The most impactful product of Kull’s fundraising efforts was the creation of the New Era Fund, which is dedicated to helping Fordham Men’s and Women’s Basketball remain competitive with the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10. The fund has allowed for much-needed facility renovations, improved travel accommodations and an array of additional enhancements in the day-to-day lives of the basketball programs.
Kull helped generate increased interest from students, alumni and supporters. The men’s basketball team ended the 2022-23 season with six straight home sellouts before seeing crowds of 8,500 and 10,000 for the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Barclays Center.
In addition to the men’s basketball team’s turnaround, Fordham enjoyed success in numerous other sports during Kull’s tenure. Under Kull, six Fordham squads won conference championships while the football team earned an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs in 2022. Kull, was also a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.
In addition to their success on the fields of competition, Fordham student-athletes also excelled in the classroom during Kull’s tenure. On a four-year rolling average, Fordham student-athletes outperformed the general student population in terms of GPA, retention rate and graduation rate. The spring 2024 semester saw Fordham student-athletes compile their highest single-term GPA in 30 years.
In the summer of 2023, Kull inked a widely heralded apparel deal with Nike to outfit the Rams’ 22 varsity sports.
Kull arrived in the Bronx as the Fordham’s senior director of development in 2017. In this role, Kull oversaw two capital campaigns while dramatically increasing fundraising and alumni engagement.
Kull began his professional career at St. John’s in 2003 as a graduate assistant in external relations. After rising to the position of Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Kull left to oversee sports and entertainment marketing for the Glaceau and Coca-Cola companies. One of the first employees hired at Vitaminwater, he played a vital role in the company’s meteoric rise.
In 2011, Kull returned to St. John’s to serve as Chief of Staff to the President overseeing Athletics and Institutional Advancement before eventually rising to the role of acting Vice President for Athletics and Institutional Advancement. During this time, St. John’s experienced stellar fundraising numbers and saw athletic revenues increase by 40 percent, as Kull helped negotiate a hydration agreement with BODYARMOR, a lucrative apparel deal with Under Armour, and a new venue contract with Madison Square Garden.
A 2005 MBA graduate from St. John’s Tobin College of Business, Kull graduated with a BA from Stony Brook University in 2003. A member of the Stony Brook baseball team, Kull was the program’s first-ever All-America East selection in 2003. Kull, a Molloy High School graduate who played for legendary head coach Jack Curran, is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at St. John’s.
Kull and his wife, Sarah, live on Long Island and are the proud parents of two sons: Ben and Lukas.
Kull’s first year guiding the Red Storm was one of the most memorable in the University’s proud athletic history. Kull’s leadership helped elevate the men’s basketball program, as the Red Storm matched a school record with 31 victories and won both the BIG EAST Regular Season and BIG EAST Tournament titles. The Johnnies’ outright regular season championship was the program’s first since 1985 while the conference postseason crown was the first for the Red Storm since 2000.
Leaning on his extensive background in external relations, Kull helped maximize the Red Storm’s success when it came to driving ticket sales and attendance. The Johnnies, who went 18-0 at home during 2024-25, sold out seven of their nine games at Carnesecca Arena. At “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” the Red Storm sold out (19,812) each of its final three regular season games and saw two more games break the 18,000-ticket mark. The Johnnies’ average regular season attendance of 16,994 at Madison Square Garden was the program’s highest in several decades. For good measure, all three sessions of the BIG EAST Tournament that featured St. John’s also sold out “The Mecca.”
In 2025-26, St. John’s is scheduled to host 12 regular season games at Madison Square Garden, the highest such total for the program since 1951-52.
A prolific fundraiser, has accelerated the Red Storm’s efforts on that front, overseeing a re-seat of season ticket holder locations at both Carnesecca Arena and Madison Square Garden that has greatly increased philanthropic giving to the department. In addition, Kull has also made the most of traditional revenue generating opportunities, increasing sponsorship opportunities and leveraging the Red Storm’s brand recognition in the world capital of arts, media and entertainment.
Following the settlement in House v. NCAA that paved the way for revenue sharing in college athletics, Kull immediately established the Red Storm Investment Legacy Fund, which allows supporters to directly contribute to the Johnnies’ efforts on that front. Kull has also orchestrated St. John’s post-House revenue sharing strategy, aiming to solidify the Red Storm’s position at the forefront of this new era of college athletics.
This past summer, Kull spearheaded an agreement to outfit all 17 of the Red Storm’s varsity teams in adidas footwear, uniforms, accessories and apparel.
St. John's student-athletes continued to excel in the classroom during Kull's first year in Queens, as the Johnnies turned in a 3.58 cumulative GPA during the 2024-25 academic year while six teams earned a perfect Graduation Success Rate and three more exceeded the NCAA average for their respective sport. Four programs (baseball, women's golf, women's tennis and volleyball) earned the prestigious BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence Award. 69% of student-athletes finished with a GPA of 3.5 or better while 113 turned in at least one semester with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Kull came home to Queens following a successful stint as the athletic director at Fordham. Appointed as the department’s interim director in April of 2020 before taking over the full-time post in February of 2021, Kull took incredible steps to transform Fordham Athletics during his relatively brief tenure.
In the spring of 2021, Kull hired Kyle Neptune, then a Villanova assistant, to lead a men’s basketball program that had gone 45-95 over the previous five seasons, including a 2-12 mark in 2020-21. In his lone year at the helm, Neptune led the Rams to a 16-16 record and an appearance in the Atlantic 10 Quarterfinals for the first time in 15 years. After Villanova hired Neptune to replace Hall of Famer Jay Wright that spring, Kull promoted Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo to lead the program following a national search. Kull’s belief in Urgo paid immediate dividends, as the 2022-23 Rams went 25-8, including a 12-6 A-10 mark to tie for second in the final conference standings. The Rams advanced to the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament for just the second time in nearly 30 years of league membership before Kull inked Urgo to a long-term extension. The men’s basketball team’s 54 wins in Kull’s three years as the permanent athletic director are the program’s highest three-year win total since 1990-93 when Fordham was a member of the Patriot League.
In addition to the team’s turnaround on the court, Kull was also instrumental in revamping the culture surrounding Fordham Basketball and Fordham Athletics in general. Prior to his departure, the Rams concluded their third straight fiscal year with a record fundraising total, including a $7.6 million figure in 2023-24 that was more than $2.5 million higher than the previous year’s mark. Those aforementioned totals do not include a long-term pledge to Fordham Football from an anonymous donor totaling $10 million.
The most impactful product of Kull’s fundraising efforts was the creation of the New Era Fund, which is dedicated to helping Fordham Men’s and Women’s Basketball remain competitive with the upper echelon of the Atlantic 10. The fund has allowed for much-needed facility renovations, improved travel accommodations and an array of additional enhancements in the day-to-day lives of the basketball programs.
Kull helped generate increased interest from students, alumni and supporters. The men’s basketball team ended the 2022-23 season with six straight home sellouts before seeing crowds of 8,500 and 10,000 for the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Barclays Center.
In addition to the men’s basketball team’s turnaround, Fordham enjoyed success in numerous other sports during Kull’s tenure. Under Kull, six Fordham squads won conference championships while the football team earned an at-large berth to the FCS Playoffs in 2022. Kull, was also a member of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee.
In addition to their success on the fields of competition, Fordham student-athletes also excelled in the classroom during Kull’s tenure. On a four-year rolling average, Fordham student-athletes outperformed the general student population in terms of GPA, retention rate and graduation rate. The spring 2024 semester saw Fordham student-athletes compile their highest single-term GPA in 30 years.
In the summer of 2023, Kull inked a widely heralded apparel deal with Nike to outfit the Rams’ 22 varsity sports.
Kull arrived in the Bronx as the Fordham’s senior director of development in 2017. In this role, Kull oversaw two capital campaigns while dramatically increasing fundraising and alumni engagement.
Kull began his professional career at St. John’s in 2003 as a graduate assistant in external relations. After rising to the position of Associate Athletic Director for External Relations, Kull left to oversee sports and entertainment marketing for the Glaceau and Coca-Cola companies. One of the first employees hired at Vitaminwater, he played a vital role in the company’s meteoric rise.
In 2011, Kull returned to St. John’s to serve as Chief of Staff to the President overseeing Athletics and Institutional Advancement before eventually rising to the role of acting Vice President for Athletics and Institutional Advancement. During this time, St. John’s experienced stellar fundraising numbers and saw athletic revenues increase by 40 percent, as Kull helped negotiate a hydration agreement with BODYARMOR, a lucrative apparel deal with Under Armour, and a new venue contract with Madison Square Garden.
A 2005 MBA graduate from St. John’s Tobin College of Business, Kull graduated with a BA from Stony Brook University in 2003. A member of the Stony Brook baseball team, Kull was the program’s first-ever All-America East selection in 2003. Kull, a Molloy High School graduate who played for legendary head coach Jack Curran, is currently pursuing a doctorate in educational leadership at St. John’s.
Kull and his wife, Sarah, live on Long Island and are the proud parents of two sons: Ben and Lukas.
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