St. John's made its hiring of Ed Kull as its new athletic director official on Wednesday afternoon and things are already off to a promising start in Queens.
"Ed Kull has demonstrated a commitment to excellence on and off the field of competition," St. John's President Rev. Brian J. Shanley said in a statement.
"This is an important hire at a critical time in the shifting landscape of college athletics, and I am pleased to have Ed rejoin our team."
Kull earned his masters degree from St. John's and worked in the school's athletics department from 2011-2017. He will be formally introduced with a press conference on Tuesday, September 17 at 1:00p.m. ET.
"To say this is the honor of my professional life would be an understatement," Kull explained in a statement.
"As a kid from the neighborhood who got his start working as a graduate assistant in Carnesecca Arena, to be able to follow in the footsteps of Jack Kaiser as the athletic director at St. John's is surreal. I understand the work that we have ahead of us will not be easy, but I wholeheartedly believe that we will commit every resource necessary to restore St. John's to its natural place atop the collegiate athletic landscape."
Ed Kull replaces Mike Cragg, who served in the role since 2018. The school officially parted ways with Cragg on June 30.
"I'd like to thank Fordham President Tania Tetlow, the Fordham administration and the Board of Trustees for their support and belief in our department over the past several years," Kull continued.
"Having backing at the highest levels of a university is critical to success in athletics. It's something that I enjoyed at Fordham and I'm excited to work with an equally enthusiastic and dedicated administration at St. John's led by Father Shanley and Joe Oliva."
St. John's will open its men's basketball season against Fordham on November 4 inside Carnesecca Arena.