WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue vice president and athletics director Mike Bobinski announced the hiring of Patrick Crawford as associate athletics director for strategic communications on Thursday.
Crawford will manage and lead the strategic communications team charged with disseminating accurate and timely information to a variety of constituents, including media, alumni, donors and fans. The team reports on and publicizes all 18 sports programs while working closely with marketing and creative services to promote the image of Purdue Athletics via traditional and innovative communications methods.
"We look forward to welcoming Patrick to the Purdue Athletics team," Bobinski said. "While we were fortunate to have a talented pool of candidates, Patrick quickly stood out due to his breadth of experience, work ethic and creative expertise in the world of digital communication. He comes to Purdue with a great respect for our programs and an eagerness to tell our story across the variety of platforms available today. We are excited to have Patrick leading our strategic communications efforts and team."
"I could not be more excited to join the Purdue Athletics family," Crawford said. "There is a tremendous opportunity ahead to help Mike Bobinski and his department elevate the Boilermaker brand to new heights. I would like to thank Mike and the department's senior leadership for this chance to work side-by-side with such a great crew in West Lafayette. I feel very fortunate to be able to join an institution with an incredible history of academic and athletic excellence. My fiancé, Alyssa, and I cannot wait to become a part of the university community."
Crawford comes to Purdue after spending the last three years as the associate director of athletics for communications and digital strategy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, serving as the chief communications officer for the department. While at Louisiana, Crawford reinvented the Ragin' Cajuns media strategy, doubling the amount of video content on all social channels while guiding football to its most visible season ever in 2020. He implemented the school's first Digital Strategy division within the athletics department before the 2018-19 year, a move that resulted in increased awareness and engagement in digital media. Crawford served on the department's senior leadership team and oversaw a full-time staff of nine employees across communications, digital strategies and broadcast services.
Prior to his time with the Ragin' Cajuns, he served as the assistant director of strategic communications at Missouri for five-plus years, working with the men's basketball program led by head coach Cuonzo Martin. He also served as a secondary contact for the Missouri football program for two years and organized promotion of a pair of All-Americans in Michael Sam and Shane Ray.
He also had stops in the same capacity at Rutgers and Arkansas before heading to Missouri in Jan. 2013.
Crawford, a Denison, Iowa, native, owns a bachelor of arts degree from Iowa State in journalism and mass communication, public relations emphasis with a speech communication minor.
Crawford will manage and lead the strategic communications team charged with disseminating accurate and timely information to a variety of constituents, including media, alumni, donors and fans. The team reports on and publicizes all 18 sports programs while working closely with marketing and creative services to promote the image of Purdue Athletics via traditional and innovative communications methods.
"We look forward to welcoming Patrick to the Purdue Athletics team," Bobinski said. "While we were fortunate to have a talented pool of candidates, Patrick quickly stood out due to his breadth of experience, work ethic and creative expertise in the world of digital communication. He comes to Purdue with a great respect for our programs and an eagerness to tell our story across the variety of platforms available today. We are excited to have Patrick leading our strategic communications efforts and team."
"I could not be more excited to join the Purdue Athletics family," Crawford said. "There is a tremendous opportunity ahead to help Mike Bobinski and his department elevate the Boilermaker brand to new heights. I would like to thank Mike and the department's senior leadership for this chance to work side-by-side with such a great crew in West Lafayette. I feel very fortunate to be able to join an institution with an incredible history of academic and athletic excellence. My fiancé, Alyssa, and I cannot wait to become a part of the university community."
Crawford comes to Purdue after spending the last three years as the associate director of athletics for communications and digital strategy at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, serving as the chief communications officer for the department. While at Louisiana, Crawford reinvented the Ragin' Cajuns media strategy, doubling the amount of video content on all social channels while guiding football to its most visible season ever in 2020. He implemented the school's first Digital Strategy division within the athletics department before the 2018-19 year, a move that resulted in increased awareness and engagement in digital media. Crawford served on the department's senior leadership team and oversaw a full-time staff of nine employees across communications, digital strategies and broadcast services.
Prior to his time with the Ragin' Cajuns, he served as the assistant director of strategic communications at Missouri for five-plus years, working with the men's basketball program led by head coach Cuonzo Martin. He also served as a secondary contact for the Missouri football program for two years and organized promotion of a pair of All-Americans in Michael Sam and Shane Ray.
He also had stops in the same capacity at Rutgers and Arkansas before heading to Missouri in Jan. 2013.
Crawford, a Denison, Iowa, native, owns a bachelor of arts degree from Iowa State in journalism and mass communication, public relations emphasis with a speech communication minor.