Wojnarowski, ’91, retires from ESPN to accept role as general manager of Bonnies basketball program
ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — ESPN Senior NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski is retiring from his award-winning journalism career and returning to his alma mater as general manager of the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball program.
“I am delighted and honoured to return to Saint-Bonaventure with the opportunity to serve the university,” said the coach Marc Schmidt “And our elite Atlantic 10 men’s basketball program,” Wojnarowski said. “In these changing times in college sports, I look forward to joining a championship program that combines high-level basketball, national television exposure, professional preparation and NIL opportunities with an intimate and supportive educational environment.”
As general manager, Wojnarowski will serve the coaching staff in managing a wide range of responsibilities, including name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and serving as a liaison to the teams; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni relations; professional player programs; and program fundraising.
Recognizing the rapidly changing landscape of college sports, many power conferences and mid-major schools have added the general manager role since 2022, particularly for their football and men’s basketball programs.
“I look forward to sharing with our community some of the best practices I’ve learned from the NBA’s most successful franchises and minds, and I’m committed to opening doors around the world for our players, on and off the court,” Wojnarowski said.
Bob Beretta, vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics, said Wojnarowski’s decision is an “incredible opportunity” for the university, its athletic department and the men’s basketball program.
“At a time of great turbulence in intercollegiate athletics, we are making it clear that St. Bonaventure continues to be at the forefront of change,” Beretta said. “This is a bold decision that aligns with our institutional goals to continue to grow and thrive.”
Wojnarowski’s global network of connections in the basketball world will be an invaluable asset to the program, Beretta said.
“Woj is the ideal person to fill this new role, combining his intimate knowledge of St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan values with a deep network of relationships he has built in the world of professional and intercollegiate basketball,” Beretta said. “That the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to give up a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a supporting role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona’s.”
Schmidt called the decision to add Wojnarowski to his team a “home run.”
“This change is critical to navigating the new landscape of NIL college basketball, recruiting and retention,” said Schmidt, the winningest men’s basketball coach in school history. “Woj is as connected as anyone in the basketball world and his decades-long network of relationships can only help our program remain among the top teams in the Atlantic 10 moving forward.”
By opting out of a lucrative contract extension he signed with ESPN in 2022, Wojnarowski now wants to give back to a university that left an indelible mark on his life. He and his wife, Amy, ’92, have been major benefactors of the basketball program and the Jandoli School of Communication.
“I am grateful to President (Jeff) Gingerich, Bob Beretta, Coach Schmidt and the entire St. Bonaventure community for welcoming my wife, Amy, and me into the campus community in a new role,” Wojnarowski said. “We met on this beautiful campus as undergraduates and shared a lifelong love of the university that continues today. I am ready to get to work.”
Wojnarowski, a 1991 graduate, announced his retirement from ESPN on X (formerly Twitter) this morning.
“This job has been life-changing for me, but I have decided to step away from ESPN and the news industry,” Wojnarowski wrote. “I understand the commitment required in my role and it is an investment I am no longer willing to make. Time is not unlimited and I want to use mine in a more personally meaningful way.”
Prior to joining ESPN, where he has been with ESPN since 2017, Wojnarowski worked at Yahoo Sports, where he spent nearly 10 years, including two as editor-in-chief of The Vertical. His distinguished journalism career includes nearly 10 years at the Record of New Jersey (where he was twice named APSE Columnist of the Year), as well as several years at the Fresno Bee and the Republican-American in Waterbury, Conn.
Wojnarowski’s peers voted him the National Sports Media Association’s National Sports Writer of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He joined a distinguished list of greats to win the award at least three years in a row — Red Smith, Jim Murray, Frank Deford, Rick Reilly, Bob Ryan and Tom Verducci.
Wojnarowski is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball’s Most Unlikely Dynasty.”
The university’s commencement speaker and recipient of an honorary degree in 2022, Wojnarowski was named the Jandoli School’s 2019 Alumnus of the Year and was inducted into the Jandoli School’s Wall of Distinguished Alumni.
A press conference to welcome Amy and Adrian to the Bonaventure community will be held at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25 in the Quick Center for the Arts Theatre. The campus community is welcome to attend.
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About the University: The nation’s first Franciscan university, St. Bonaventure University is a community committed to transforming the lives of its students inside and outside the classroom, inspiring a lifelong commitment to service and citizenship. Among 167 regional universities in the North, St. Bonaventure was ranked 6th in value and 14th in innovation by U.S. News and World Report (2024).
