Anthony Di Fino

 

Anthony Di Fino joined the University of Cincinnati staff in January 2021 as Deputy AD for External Relations/CRO.

Di Fino oversees the department's external operations and revenue producing units, including The Agency (UC’s Digital, Creative and Communications unit), Cincy Sports Partners (sponsorship), Fan Experience & Engagement, Broadcasting & Production, and Ticket Sales & Service. He is the key liaison to UCATS, the fundraising arm of UC.  He has been instrumental in re-structuring and re-imagining the effective outcomes of the external units and has overseen the growth of external revenues of over 40% since 2019.

He also serves as the department's liaison with operational partners SodexoLive!, RevelXP, Ticketmaster, and other key constituents. 

Di Fino came to Cincinnati after more than four years as Syracuse's associate athletics director for business development. In that role, he was responsible for developing strategic marketing campaigns to cultivate community relationships and build support for Syracuse Athletics, while serving as the key revenue strategist to drive support for the athletic department. 

Di Fino has over 18 years of experience at the Division 1 level, with over 12 years exclusive to executive level leadership within the Power 4.

External Leadership Team

• Zach Stipe – The Agency (Communications and Creative Content)
• Trevor Towle – Broadcasting & Production
• Bria McLaurin - Ticket Sales and Premium Services
• Stanley Frazier – Marketing & Fan Engagement
• Ryan Holmes – Cincy Sports Partners
• Brandon Phillips – Ticket Operations
• Gary Gornowicz - Concessions (SodexoLive!)
• Walker Tice –  Tailgating and Field Suites (RevelXP)
• Tristan Mulcahy – Philanthropic Support / Fundraising (UCATS)

Success at Cincinnati:

Executive level:

• Successful transition to the Big 12 Conference.
• Created the in-house sponsorship unit: Cincy Sports Partners
• Launch of the Indoor Practice Facility and Performance Center project ($134m project).
• Over $100m raised for the ‘Day One Ready’ Campaign (campaign reached goal).
• Secured funding to create and implement a second control room to be opened in August of 2024. 90% of broadcast positions are filled by students in co-op roles.
• The creation of Bearcat Fan Council.

 
Record-breaking fan engagement success:

• UC surpassed over $13 million in ticket revenues, the highest on record at Cincinnati.
• School-record 19 game sell-out streak at Nippert Stadium
• New records in total revenue, total season tickets sold, total student tickets, and most new season

 
Partnerships:

• Successful negotiation with Nike to bring Nike & Jordan Brand back to Cincinnati.
• The launch of Affinaquest, which will provide unparalleled data analytics and opportunities for team members to grow their knowledge of our fan base with actionable data.
• Executed partnership with RevelXP to create immersive experiences like Field Level Suites and turnkey tailgating.
• Broadcast and Production provided students real-world experience for live television production in conjunction with CCM.

Personnel:

• The Sports Information creative units were re-designed and transformed into the The Agency, which now serves as a one-stop digital media and PR shop for both media members and coaching staffs.  
• The creation of a fully dedicated sales and service team.  Led by McLaurin (hired March 2021), the team is dedicated to filling venues for Cincinnati's ticketed sports, as well as being the customer service arm for Bearcat fans.
• The creation of a Broadcast Production unit and the hiring of Trevor Towle, as Executive Producer for Broadcasting and Production, with 20+ years in television production.  
• Di Fino's team was integral in many major projects in 2021-2022, including the announcement of the move to the Big 12, the implementation of new pricing models and strategies that maximized revenue, coordinated efforts for hosting ESPN College Game Day & Fox Big Noon Kickoff and the AAC Football Championships, the "Let it Fly" miniseries, and more. 
• Regional Emmy Award Winners for “Let it Fly”, a mini-series on the 2021 Football Program

Sport Administration:
As the sport administrator for men’s basketball from 2021 to 2023, Di Fino oversaw a program that improved by five wins (from 18 to 23) and advanced to the NIT Elite Eight in 2022-23. He was instrumental in the hiring of head coach Wes Miller, and the team set a program record with a 3.48 GPA in Fall 2021.
 

At Syracuse

Di Fino and his sales staff hit record milestones for football season ticket sales, new football season tickets sold, winning the men's basketball attendance crowns in 2018-19 and 2019-20, setting an NCAA on-campus record crowd of 35,642 for the Duke game on Feb. 23, 2019 and a school attendance record for the women's basketball team, drawing 11,021 fans for its 2017 game against Notre Dame.
 

With IMG Learfield (Now Learfield Amplify):

Before moving to Syracuse in 2016, Di Fino was with IMG Learfield (IMGL) Ticket Solutions from 2011-16. He was the 2013 IMGL General Manager of the Year and 2014 IMGL Executive of the Year and led award-winning sales teams at both Akron and Penn State.

In August 2014, Di Fino was promoted to IMGL Northeast Regional Manager. In that capacity, he directed the sales efforts for 13 IMGL properties. Di Fino instituted pricing strategy, developed sales schedules and campaigns, directed overall marketing strategies and supervised the general managers at each location.

During his Akron tenure, Di Fino led a sales team that increased new revenues by 72 percent, highlighted by an 860 percent increase in partial plans and a 91 percent growth rate in group sales. At Penn State, he directed a sales force that sold more than 5,000 new seasons tickets for two consecutive years and oversaw a growth in group sales of more than 200 percent.
 

Army West Point, Columbia & Fordham University:

Prior to joining IMG Learfield, Di Fino served as the assistant athletics director for ticket sales and client services for Army West Point. He oversaw all ticket sales efforts, as well as tailgating and marketing strategies, for the Black Knights. Di Fino's previous experience includes working as the ticket manager at Columbia and as a marketing assistant at Fordham.
 

Personal:

The Syracuse, N.Y. native was a student-athlete at Fordham, a four-year football letterwinner and two-time all-conference selection at punter. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and history from Fordham in 2006, a master's in business and sports management from Columbia in 2009.

PERSONAL

Hometown	Syracuse, New York
Education	B.A. in Sociology (Fordham, 2006) MS. in Business and Sports Management (Columbia University, 2009)

ACCOLADES

2013:  IMGL General Manager of the Year

2014:  IMGL Executive of the Year

2x  All-Conference Punter