Best. Year. Ever. | Rutgers Athletics Points of Pride
Pat Hobbs enters his eighth year as Director of Athletics at Rutgers University, a tenure marked by unprecedented success both in competition and in the classroom. A New Jersey native with more than 25 years of leadership experience in higher education and public service, Hobbs has made a mark of transforming institutions in the Garden State. Outlined in "The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence," a strategic vision for Rutgers Athletics has taken course under Hobbs with a clearly defined core purpose, values and priorities.
Aligned in the pursuit of excellence, the 2021-22 season culminated in the best year in Rutgers Athletics history, capping a successful campaign marked by Big Ten Championships, NCAA Tournament berths and record-setting milestones across the board.
Rutgers had nine teams appear in the national rankings during the 2021-22 season, the most programs ranked during the same season in school history. The Scarlet Knights had five teams compete in Big Ten Championship games, including women's soccer which captured the school's first regular season conference title since joining the league and field hockey which earned the first Big Ten Tournament Championship.
Nine programs advanced to NCAA Championship postseason, while football made its first bowl berth since the 2014 season with a trip to the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, the sixth-oldest bowl in the nation.
Men's basketball played in its second-straight NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1975-76 and the Scarlet Knights became the first unranked program in NCAA history to defeat four-consecutive ranked opponents. Women's soccer advanced to its 10th-straight NCAA Tournament, earning a No. 1 seed and a trip to the College Cup for the second time and first since 2015. Wrestling sent seven Scarlet Knights to the NCAA Championships, earning a bronze-medal individual finish at 141-pounds.
Men's lacrosse advanced to its first NCAA Final Four in program history, becoming the first men's team to do so since men's soccer in 1994. The squad established a program record with 15 wins, six over ranked opponents and three top-10 wins. Women's lacrosse made its second-straight NCAA Tournament and advanced to its first Big Ten Championship game in program history. The team recorded a program-record 16 wins, including six over ranked opponents.
This dedication and passion by a hard-working group of student-athletes, coaches and support staff resulted in the highest-ever finish in the Learfield Directors’ Cup as Rutgers placed 48th overall.
As Rutgers Athletics and the rest of the world navigated through a global pandemic, the Scarlet Knights were able to turn in a successful 2020-21 season. Through the ups and downs, Rutgers achieved success on all fronts to take a pivotal step towards to Hobbs’ ultimate vision to write the “next great chapter in Rutgers Athletics history.”
In a season where competitions were largely scheduled against Big Ten opponents due to the pandemic, the Scarlet Knights posted their best conference winning percentage since joining the league in 2014. Rutgers had eight programs ranked during the 2020-21 season and 10 teams advance to NCAA postseason play.
The success of the 2020-21 season led to Rutgers earning a 60th-place showing in the final Learfield Directors’ Cup, the program’s third-highest finish in school history.
Men's basketball punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 30 years, while women's basketball made its 26th NCAA Tournament as a program. Women's soccer earned its ninth-straight bid to the NCAA Tournament, while the men's and women's lacrosse programs each qualified for postseason play. The men's team advanced to the quarterfinals and the women's squad competed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. Rowing also made its second-straight NCAA Championships, posting its highest finish in program history (seventh).
Wrestling had five Scarlet Knights advance to the NCAA Tournament, including two championship semifinalists. Gymnastics sent a representative to the national meet for the third time in program history. Track and field qualified 12 Scarlet Knights in 10 events for the NCAA East Regional and men's golf sent its first representative since 2005 to compete in the NCAA Regional.
A harbinger of things to come for the men’s basketball program could be seen during the 2019-20 season as the Scarlet Knights posted their first 20-win season in 37 years and a ranking in the Top-25 poll for the first time in 41 years. Men’s basketball sat on the cusp of earning its first NCAA Tournament berth since 1991 before the shutdown of March Madness due to the pandemic. A record 10 sold-out games at the RAC in 2019-20 are evidence of the energy and excitement for the program under head coach Steve Pikiell.
National Championship banners were hoisted to the rafters during Hobbs’ tenure with All-American wrestlers Anthony Ashnault and Nick Suriano claiming the first NCAA individual national titles in program history. The pair led a number of NCAA postseason trips in 2018-19. Women’s basketball posted a 22-10 record and made its 25th NCAA Tournament berth, while women’s soccer garnered its seventh straight NCAA bid. Then-No. 11 field hockey qualified for its first NCAA Tournament since 1986, and rowing, nationally ranked for the first time in program history, placed 11th at NCAA Championships. In addition, softball competed in the National Invitational Softball Championship, its first non-conference postseason tournament since 1996. Athletics also celebrated its first ever B1G Ten Conference Player of the Year with Chris Gotterup being named for men’s golf.
As a renowned research institution, academic success is a hallmark of Rutgers University and the Scarlet Knights continue to carry that mantle. For the fifth-straight year, the multiyear APR score for Rutgers has ranked above the national average in the NCAA. A school-record 419 student-athletes were named to Academic All-Big Ten teams and Rutgers earned its fourth winner of the prestigious Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award, the most of any conference institution since 2014.
The development of capital projects to support these student-athletes is at the forefront of Hobbs’ charge to further the mission of the only Power Five conference program located in the nation’s largest media market.
The Gary and Barbara Rodkin Academic Success Center made its grand opening and serves as home to all student-athletes for their academic pursuits. The state-of-the-art facility provides a range of resources, including academic advising, learning specialists, one-on-one and group tutoring, and houses the locker room areas for the men’s and women’s soccer and lacrosse programs, and the athletic department administration.
The “Rodkin” follows the RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center, which opened to the delight of the gymnastics, wrestling, and men’s and women’s basketball programs. In addition to providing world-class practice facilities, training areas, locker rooms and office spaces for those programs, the Center also represents a partnership between Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health to create a comprehensive sports medicine program to serve Rutgers athletes, students and communities throughout New Jersey.
Much of the capital project success can be credited to “R B1G Build,” a comprehensive campaign launched on Jan. 20, 2016 to raise $100 million for new or upgraded facilities.
With his leadership, Hobbs has directed the construction of The Brown Family Football Locker Room, The Marco Battaglia Football Practice Complex, The Fred Hill Training Complex, The Garutti Strength and Conditioning Center, The Druskin Strength and Conditioning Center and the Abe Suydam Men’s Basketball Locker Room. Additional facility improvements have extended to new playing surfaces at Bainton Field and the Rutgers Softball Complex as well as new locker room areas for softball, field hockey, cross country and track and field.
Enhancing the student-athlete experience is a priority for Hobbs and is laid out in his strategic vision for the athletic department. He placed an emphasis on elevated communication, improved resource allocation and enriched customer service. The Office of Student-Athlete Development and Success completed an organizational redesign and unit rebrand that redefined its mission and vision. The unit has focused on professional development, providing each of the department’s student-athletes with an opportunity to earn work experience through internships and professional shadowing.
In the consumer space, Hobbs shepherded the partnership between Rutgers and adidas in 2017, landing the Portland-based company as the official athletic footwear, apparel and accessory brand through 2023-24.
In 2019, Hobbs landed a multi-year partnership with SHI International Corp., making the IT solutions provider the official naming rights partner of Rutgers Stadium. The collaboration with the Somerset, N.J.-based company has driven significant benefits for Rutgers Athletics.
Hobbs also secured the landmark agreement with Jersey Mike’s Subs to become the official naming rights partner of Rutgers Athletics and the newly named Jersey Mike’s Arena. The partnership between Rutgers and Jersey Mike's pairs two homegrown New Jersey brands, both on a path of tremendous growth and success over the past several years.
Hobbs arrived at Rutgers after notable achievements at Seton Hall University. He joined the Seton Hall Law faculty in 1990 with a specialty in tax law. Hobbs became Associate Dean for Finance in 1995 and was named Dean in 1999, a position he held until 2015. In his years as Dean, He shepherded the Law School through a series of groundbreaking initiatives that raised Seton Hall Law to unprecedented prominence. The school was the fastest-rising law school in the
U.S. News & World Report ranking over the past decade. From 2009 to 2011 Hobbs also oversaw Seton Hall’s Department of Athletics, bringing new leadership to its men’s and women’s basketball programs, restructuring the Department, and negotiating the contract with the Prudential Center to serve as the home site for men’s basketball games.
The Garden State product also spearheaded the school's largest fundraising initiative, Seton Hall Law Rising, a $25 million-plus campaign that revitalized alumni support and resulted in a contribution rate of over 70 percent.
While working as Dean at Seton Hall Law School, Hobbs also served as a commissioner on the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation from 2004-14. He served as Chair from 2010-14 when he left the Commission to serve as the first-ever Ombudsman to the Office of the Governor under Chris Christie. The position was created in the wake of the Bridgegate scandal.
Hobbs has been dedicated to fostering greater diversity in the legal profession. In 2008, he formed the Dean's Diversity Council, comprising faculty, students, alumni and administration working in concert to enhance the Law School's inclusive environment. In 2012, Hobbs was honored by the Thurgood Marshall College Fund with its Excellence Award for his work on behalf of diversity within the legal profession and for "exemplifying Justice Thurgood Marshall's commitment to justice, civil rights and education."
Prior to joining Seton Hall Law, Hobbs was a tax attorney with the law firm of Shanley & Fisher in Roseland, N.J. He received his B.A. in accounting, magna cum laude, from Seton Hall University, his J.D. from the University of North Carolina and his LL.M. (in taxation) from New York University.
Hobbs, 62, is the proud father of three children and resides in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, with wife, Patrice.
