Tom Theodorakis has big plans for all of Army’s 30 intercollegiate sports program.
Named the 31st athletic director at West Point in early February, Theodorakis was officially introduced to West Point fans and the press by United States Military Academy superintendent Lt. General Steven Gilland and Bryant “Corky” Messner, chairman of the Army West Point Athletic Association Monday at West Point.
He wasted little time making it clear that his mission is to continue to invest in the success of Army sports.
“You’ve seen what happens when the football team and Coach (Jeff) Monken have the resources to do what they need,” said Theodorakis, who is known around campus as “Theo.” “We cannot take our foot off the gas pedal. We need to look at what our facilities look like, what our schedules look like and continue to be competitive in the American Athletic Conference and try to get a spot in the college football playoff. That is our goal.
“Football is an important piece here but so are our other 29 sports. I think we want to do our best to put every single program we have in a position for success.”
Theodorakis, who was most recently the deputy athletics director-external operations and chief revenue officer at West Point, was selected after a nationwide search that included the consideration of more than a dozen existing athletic directors. He came to West Point as the senior associate athletics director for external operations in July 2022 and was promoted last year.
He made it clear he believes that his experience at the academy and working with former athletic director Mike Buddie, who left for the same job at Texas Christian University late last year, will help make for a smooth transition.
“This is not a rebuild, this is not a situation where we need to start from scratch,” Theodorakis noted. “We just won the (2024-25) Star Series (against Navy). We are doing the right things. There are ways to enhance things, working with our team, including new hires, and how do we take this to the next level. That is what I am excited to work with our team on and put the pen to paper and start executing.”
Theodorakis said he is aware of the changing landscape of college sports, particularly the introduction of NIL (name, image & likeness) payments to student athletes and the transfer portal, is making running a college sports program more challenging.
“What I have challenged our team, our coaches and our staff with is where is there opportunity in all this,” he said. “I think we have the ability to put together some great teams here. We can have some cohesiveness and develop cadets over three or four years. We have the prep school here. So what are the key components that we can benefit from? That is exciting for us to work through it and almost moneyball it, if that makes sense.”
Facilities are also an important part of the plan, especially in showing top recruits that Army is serious about its intercollegiate sports programs. In addition to the opening of the renovated east stands of Michie Stadium, slated for mid-2026, he said that the master plan includes considering the renovation of Gillis Field House and the possible addition of an office tower near Michie Stadium to house all the sports program staffs.
“We can win national championships here, I am certain of that,” he added. “It is not about Army, it is about people. I think you can build teams here. I think we are seeing it with lacrosse, where at the highest levels our teams are competing against major schools. We can attract top talent and I also think we can develop talent here and that is a strong recipe.
“This is a very strong brand. I think people believe in what West Point does and what that degree means and what joining the U.S. Army means and what that long-term process looks like in the end.”
