Storm The Paint
Fansided

St. John's hires Fordham athletic director Ed Kull for vacant AD position

The Red Storm are bringing one of its own back to Queens to lead its athletics department

By Kevin Connelly

Jan 3, 2023; Queens, New York, USA; A basketball with the St. John's Red Storm logo at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Jan 3, 2023; Queens, New York, USA; A basketball with the St. John's Red Storm logo at Carnesecca Arena. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

St. John's did not have to go very far to find its next athletic director.

In fact, he was only about 15 miles away in the Bronx as the Red Storm have hired Fordham AD Ed Kull, sources confirmed on Wednesday morning.

It'll be a homecoming for the Queens native who began his career in athletics at St. John's, earning his masters degree from the university before joining the athletics office and eventually becoming the Vice President of Athletics.

Kull was named as the interim athletic director at Fordham in April 2020 before he landed the full-time gig in February 2021.

During his tenure with the Rams, Kull has led a turnaround of the men's basketball program after hiring Kyle Neptune to be the team's head coach before Villanova brought him back to the program following the retirement of Jay Wright. He also promoted Keith Urgo following Neptune's departure.

However, the most impressive part of Ed Kull's tenure at Fordham has been the major influx of donations to the athletic program. Fordham raised over $10 million under Kull's watch, including $4.5 million in the 2023 fiscal year.

Donations that amassed over $5 million was specifically to support the Fordham men's and women's basketball programs.

Kull was tabbed as the favorite to land the Johnnies' vacancy after the school parted ways with Mike Cragg on June 30. He holds a strong relationship with powerful St. John's billionaire booster Mike Repole.

Repole financially supported Fordham while Kull was leading its athletics department.

Talks had been on-going between the two sides but truly intensified earlier this week.

St. John's is expected to make Ed Kull's hiring official shortly as he will look to bring the school's flagship sport, men's basketball, the resources it needs to be successful under the second year of head coach Rick Pitino.

Home/St. John's Red Storm News