Valparaiso University Director of Athletics Laurel Hosmer has announced the addition of Will Price to the Valpo Athletics staff as Deputy Athletic Director for External Affairs.
Beginning on Dec. 2, Price will lead the department’s external operations and revenue generation efforts in addition to serving as the sport administrator for the volleyball and softball programs and as a member of the department’s senior staff. He will have oversight of Valpo’s strategic approach to generating revenue including philanthropic giving, transactional giving, sponsorships, parking and ticket sales.
Price will also serve as a liaison to Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, the department’s multimedia rights and sponsorship partner. In addition, he will execute Name, Image and Likeness strategy and serve as the department’s contact for student-athlete NIL.
“We are thrilled to welcome Will and his family to the Valparaiso community,” Hosmer said. “This position is a crucially important one for our department, and we are pleased to bring in someone of Will’s caliber and experience level. His track record of successfully generating revenue throughout his career in collegiate athletics will serve him well in this role. I cannot wait to see the positive impact that Will’s expertise will have on our overall fundraising and revenue-generation efforts as well as our external stakeholders, campus partners, coaches, student-athletes and staff.”
Price comes to Valpo from the University of New Mexico, where he had served as Senior Associate Athletic Director for Revenue Generation since September 2022. During his stay in Albuquerque, he was part of the senior level executive team with oversight of marketing, communications and creative/digital media. He served as the department’s branding and licensing director, was in charge of all media advertising trade and served on the NIL working group team.
In 2022-23 under Price’s watch, New Mexico women’s basketball increased attendance by 17.5 percent from the previous year and men’s basketball saw a 34 percent jump, the third largest attendance increase in Division-I from the previous season. The Lobos saw another men’s basketball attendance climb in 2023-24, as the attendance again increased, this time by 14.29 percent from the previous year, while women’s basketball attendance rose by another six percent.
“I am extremely excited about the future of Valparaiso Athletics and getting to be a part of something special,” Price said. “The culture that Laurel has already begun to build in such a short time was infectious to me when talking to the coaches, staff and students during my visit. I want to thank Ms. Hosmer for her trust in my abilities. My family and I cannot wait to get there.”
Prior to his arrival at New Mexico, Price served as Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing, Promotions and Branding at the University of Memphis from March 2017 to August 2022. He oversaw all facets of the athletics marketing department including serving as the branding and licensing director and securing and cultivating trade deals. He also served as the sport supervisor for Memphis’ national championship spirit programs of cheerleading and dance.
Other highlights of Price’s time at Memphis include three football games with over 50,000 attendees, the department’s first women’s basketball sellout in multiple years and the highest year-to-year spike in the nation in men’s basketball attendance in 2018-19. He led the charge to promote the first ESPN College Gameday visit in school history in 2019, resulting in a record-setting crowd of 59,506. Price created the new student section, The Ambush, in 2021.
Price served as the Director of Marketing and Promotions at Northern Arizona University from July 2014 to February 2017. He was in charge of the marketing of all sports with direct oversight of football and men’s basketball. He was the sport supervisor for the spirit programs of cheerleading and dance, resulting in a 2017 national championship for dance. Like Price’s other stops, Northern Arizona saw an attendance spike across various sports during his tenure leading the marketing department.
From July 2013 to June 2014, Price held the position of Director of Corporate Partnerships & Marketing for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). He was in charge of culminating new corporate partnerships for the conference, updating and managing MEAC websites and social media outlets, marketing and promoting all 16 MEAC-sponsored sports and developing marketing print materials for the conference.
Price’s first stint in the state of New Mexico came at New Mexico State University from 2010 to 2013, when he served as Director of Marketing and Promotions. He was in charge of marketing all sports, with direct oversight of football, men’s basketball and softball. Prior to his successful run elevating New Mexico State attendance, Price was an athletics marketing associate at James Madison University from July 2007 to March 2010. He oversaw marketing for men’s and women’s soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, softball and baseball.
Price’s early days in the industry included time as the sports information graduate assistant at High Point University (2005-2007), the lead intern for sports marketing and promotions at Wake Forest University (Fall 2006 to Spring 2007), an intern for sports marketing and promotions at Radford University (Spring 2004 - Fall 2004) and an intern for the Radford sports information department (Spring 2003).
A native of Harrisonburg, Va., Price graduated from Radford with a bachelor’s degree in exercise, sport and health education in December 2004 before going on to earn a master’s in sports studies from High Point in May 2007.