A Decade of Watson: Athletic Director Nears 10 Year Milestone with Loyola

From the top floor of the Norville Center, Athletics Director Steve Watson has a complete view of Loyola’s West Quad and its surrounding buildings. Along the hallways of the floor are photographs of former players and coaches, representing 13 NCAA Division I sports he’s responsible for managing.

Watson has served as Athletic Director for nearly a decade now, with the Nov. 12 anniversary of his signing two months away. Before joining Loyola, Watson had settled into his seventh year as the athletic director at St. Bonaventure University.

He was first made aware of the position when Loyola Sr. Vice President for Administration Tom M. Kelly reached out via a random phone call, according to Watson. Loyola had failed to find a new athletic director in a previous search, and Kelly pinpointed him as a potential target in a revitalized effort.

A Franklinville, New York native who grew up just thirty minutes away from St. Bonaventure, Watson said he felt comfortable in his position but connected with Kelly during the call and gave it some more thought.  

While mulling it over, a conversation with a friend convinced him visiting Chicago would be “worthwhile.” After some serious discussion with his family, he decided to take the flight out.

After his first visit, Watson said he was absolutely blown away with the school.

“I thought in my head, ‘Loyola Chicago, it’s gonna be a city campus,’” Watson said. “But I didn’t expect the kind of commitment that they talked about to athletics, the pretty campus, being right on the lake, all the things that we’ve come to love about this place.”

Watson, his wife and three children made the move and are now residents of Libertyville, Illinois. One of his children, Allison, played four years of volleyball at Loyola from 2015 to 2019.

Since he first signed on, the Athletics Department has undergone significant growth and increased investment, especially on campus. Watson was responsible for overseeing several fan experience improvements within Gentile Arena, notably the implementation of the Hall of Fame atrium in the arena entrance and the addition of new video boards and playing surfaces.

The purpose of any Gentile renovation, according to Watson, is to ensure both the best TV viewing experience and in-arena fan experience. He said the best indicator of success with those renovations are continuous camera shots of the high-energy student sections.

Along with enhancing the fan experience, Watson has managed significant projects for student-athletes. Loyola unveiled the Alfie Norville Practice Facility in August 2019, giving student-athletes access to two practice floors, a film room and exercise science lab. To improve the program’s branding, Watson oversaw renovations to the Norville Center in 2024.

The university has also put increased attention on the Athletics Department organizational structure. As a former student-athlete himself, Watson – who played basketball for Rutgers University and Bowling Green State University – has made a point of installing a “student-athlete first” mindset.

That mindset is critical to the hiring and recruiting processes within the Athletic Department, according to Watson. 

“When we go through a hiring process, we’re making sure that people fit and understand what it means to be at a school like Loyola,” Watson said. “We don’t have coaches who are in it for themselves. It’s about the student-athletes, the student-athlete experience.”

Watson was able to secure increased revenues through media agreements and corporate branding which has helped the Athletics program add resources for athletes, including mental health specialists, sports performance coaches and dietitians.

Another “non-negotiable” regarding student-athletes is academic support, according to Watson. Since he joined Loyola Athletics, the program has received increased public recognition from the NCAA for academic progress, yielded increased graduation rates and fostered numerous Academic All-Americans.

This progress wouldn’t have been possible without the accommodation of Loyola’s faculty, which Watson said he’s extremely grateful for. Together with combined efforts of Associate Athletic Director of Academic Services Kyle Nelson, the Athletics program has made a point of effectively utilizing said support for the growing international athlete population.

Watson, who’s had professional stints in France, Portugal and Taiwan, said the increased diversity and the success of athletes from abroad has been another highlight of his tenure.

“It’s just amazing what they’re able to do as students here in America,” Watson said. “Our internationals are, a lot of times, some of our very best students. They do a fantastic job competitively as well and it just brings a lot to the department.”

From the time he took up the post in 2014, Loyola Athletics has endured significant success. Several deep NCAA runs – including two men’s volleyball championships and the famed 2018 men’s basketball Final Four run – alongside multiple conference championships.

Even while heading the transition to the Atlantic 10 Conference, Watson – who joined Loyola only two years after the transition to the Missouri Valley Conference – said the process wasn’t necessarily “seamless,” but the quick adaptation from coaches and athletes proved it could be successful. 

Several teams recorded quality conference performances immediately after the move, and others who performed poorly in the inaugural season saw improvements in their respective conference records the next season.

The transition has offered significant benefits to the department, increasing Loyola’s national profile through branding and exposure and allowing increased recruitment in areas outside of the Illinois and the Midwest.

While the transition significantly heightened the appeal of Loyola Athletics on a national scale, Watson has maintained a focus on giving back, opening opportunities for athletes to engage with both campus events and organizations in the Rogers Park community.

He specifically noted athlete presence during move-in week and endeavors taken in tandem with university partner Misericordia, a care and services organization in Chicago.

“One of the things that you’ll see is that we’re gonna support other folks on campus,” Watson said. “We’re going to be involved and active and engaged around campus because we understand and know how much we get support from others.”

Watson went on, saying while he wanted to win and have success further down the road, there is “more than that here” — the success of the program isn’t just through its athletic victories, but also through recognizing the need to support other important components of the university.

Watson did, however, make one thing clear.

“Don’t get me wrong, we’re playing to win and we’re gonna win, ” Watson said. “We’re gonna win a lot. We’re gonna have fun doing it.”