Joe Bergin

On Wednesday, Marietta College President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty announced the appointment of Joe Bergin as the Pioneers’ next director of intercollegiate athletics. Bergin will take over for Larry Hiser who is retiring in May after 18 years leading the Pioneers’ athletic department.

“Joe has proven to be a strong leader and effective mentor for both coaches and students,” Dougherty said. “He has multiple talents and background experiences, not only in athletics, but as a leader, as a relationship builder and as an astute decision-maker — these are excellent qualifications for this position. He is committed to bringing a data-driven and student-centered approach to our athletics programs.”

Bergin returned to his alma mater in 2013 as head men’s soccer coach for the Pioneers. During his time leading the Marietta men’s team, Bergin has become the program’s winningest coach.

“Our team is very excited that Coach Bergin will take his leadership skills to the next level and lead Marietta’s athletics program, but we are also happy that he will continue to coach the team,” said Dillon Meagle, a management major/finance minor who plays the wing position.

Bergin becomes only the seventh athletic director at Marietta College in nearly 100 years, following in the footsteps of Don Drumm (1929-60), William O. Whetsel (1960-69), Joe McDaniel (1970-79), J. Phillip Roach (1980-89), Debbie Lazorik (1989-2007), and Larry Hiser (2008-26). Bergin brings a wealth of athletic experience to the position, both as a player and a coach, and he also is an adjunct professor in the Department of Business and Economics.

“This institution means a great deal to me as it helped shape who I am today,” Bergin said. “As a graduate and someone who has spent the past 13 years here, this place is very personal to me. When President Dougherty asked me to consider this role, I felt this was another chance to give back to Marietta. I would like to thank her, the Board of Trustees and the college’s cabinet for this opportunity.”

“I’m excited to work with our coaches, administration and the student-athletes as we strive to grow the brand and work towards winning more titles.”

As a student, Bergin was the starting goalkeeper on Marietta’s only Ohio Athletic Conference Championship soccer team in 1984. After graduating, he played professionally for more than eight years in the United Soccer League.

Since the end of his playing career, Bergin has enjoyed a successful coaching career, spending more than 20 seasons patrolling the sidelines at Agnes Scott College in Georgia and at Marietta College. During his 10 years as the head women’s soccer coach at Agnes Scott, Bergin was named the conference coach of the year three times and took the Scotties to their first conference championship and the NCAA Tournament in 2012.

In addition to his time on the pitch, Bergin has extensive experience in business and plans to bring that mindset to his new role. He spent 23 years as an account executive with 3M Company, working with one of its biggest accounts, Home Depot. During that time, he gained appreciation for and honed business skills, including understanding the use of data to approach situations from a business perspective. For Bergin, combining athletics, academics and business is second nature.

“I’ve always straddled that line of being the person who coaches and the person who teaches,” he said, explaining that his business background has contributed to his ability in both arenas.

Bergin also has become a well-respected figure across the Marietta College campus. He teaches courses in the Business and Economics Department and chairs the Staff Council, representing that group in the President’s Cabinet. He is a member of the Academic Standing Committee and serves as the athletic department’s liaison to the admission office.

Over the remainder of the academic year, Bergin and Hiser will work together to ensure a smooth transition of the department’s leadership.

Acknowledging his predecessor’s influence on Marietta athletics, Bergin said, “We certainly need to recognize Larry and the impact he’s had over the past 18 years. Everyone in athletics owes him a great deal of gratitude for what he brought to Marietta. He truly learned to bleed blue.”