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Meet Pete!

Pete Moris Joins The Hokies As Associate Athletic Director

By Roy Hatfield
Michael Shroyer/Getty Images

In May of 2015, Pete Moris assumed the role of Associate Athletic Director of Strategic Communications at Virginia Tech. He replaced a mainstay in Blacksburg, Dave Smith, who worked for a remarkable 40 years at V.T. I asked Pete what his primary responsibilities were, as I don't run into too many Strategic Communicators in my daily life. If you exclude my wife from the very short list, I can think of only one person who fits that bill, and Pete is it. Pete has N.F.L. experience. He worked with the Chiefs for 17 years where he made his bones. He held the same position with Oklahoma, who in case you haven't noticed, has managed to win a few now again He started his own consulting company where he helped such companies as Nike, Stats LLC, and the University of Wisconsin. Go ahead and ask. "Roy, the Badgers aren't a company are they?". Well if you count millions in revenue, building a national brand, and otherwise trying to position itself in any overcrowded field, then yes it is for sure a "company." Pete brings expertise in the very way Virginia Tech needs help. As far as what Virginia Tech was looking for in the position, Pete shared with me the "want ad".

"The successful candidate will lead the strategic communications and comprehensive public relations for Virginia Tech Athletics. He or she will be directly responsible for Virginia Tech football communications and media relations. He or she will serve as a key member of our senior staff and external leadership team and will be directly responsible for working with the external team to create cutting-edge content."

I'm not going to lie, that's a tall task for our program. We spoke about the interview process and he had this to offer: "A senior administrator at the Univ. of Oklahoma was contacted by a counterpart at Virginia Tech regarding potential candidates for the opening. That OU administrator asked me if I knew of any qualified candidates who might be interested in the position. Blacksburg had long been on my "bucket list" of places to visit. I remember seeing it annually on "best places to live lists," so after looking at the opportunity in more depth, I was like: "yeah, I'm interested!" Once I reached the on-campus portion of the search process, I fell in love with the campus and the area. It really felt like home even though I had just arrived. Fortunately, now I can say that Blacksburg and Virginia Tech are my home."

Pete reports directly to Desiree Reed-Francois, and of course Whit Babcock. The leadership felt that Moris brings something the Hokies are lacking. His mission is to spread the word of Hokie Nation, take care of the student athletes, and produce results. One thing is for certain, Pete loves football. "I love working with winners and that was part of the allure of working at Virginia Tech. When you start really digging into the numbers, this is truly one of the elite programs in college football. You start with 22 straight bowls, that sort of consistency is tough to come by in any profession, particularly in college football. In my short time here, I've gained an even deeper appreciation for what Coach Beamer and his staff have built. If you look back to 1995, only Ohio State (15) has more seasons with 10 or more wins than Tech (13). If you go back to 1996, no Power Five program has more sacks or interceptions. You don't produce those types of results by accident. If you can't tell, I'm very bullish on Virginia Tech football past, present and future." Pete also loves his roundball:

Follow Pete @PeteMoris

Follow me @roybhatfield

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