ncaa

Ohio State athletics has achieved multiple milestones since Martin Jarmond stepped on campus in 2009 as associate athletic director of development.

The reseating of top football donors at Ohio Stadium, the sale of alcohol in general concessions at The Shoe and new loge boxes as part of an end zone renovation have all occurred during Jarmond’s rise to deputy director, the No. 2 position under Athletic Director Gene Smith.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be here through a lot of firsts at Ohio State,” Jarmond said. “It’s the first time we’ve done seat selection at the stadium. We just started selling beer and wine last fall and I was the point person on that. We got some real good exposure on ESPN and were able to fund four new campus police officers from the new revenue stream. Now, the renovation. It’s been a really exciting time for us. We’re being progressive a little bit in moving things forward.”

In addition, Jarmond sits on the advisory board of the College Football Playoff, which started in May 2014. The Buckeyes won the first CFP title the following January after beating Alabama.

After graduating in 2001 from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington, where he played basketball and helped the Seahawks gain their first NCAA tournament appearance, Jarmond spent seven years at Michigan State.

“In the Big Ten, we’re all very collegial,” Jarmond said. “It’s very interesting because not all conferences are like this. Whether it’s the marketers, development officers, ticket office staff, we all get together annually and help each other. The reality is, if you’re an Ohio State alum, you’re not an Iowa fan, but if Iowa does something really well from a strategy standpoint, we’ll call them and they’ll tell us how they did it, because we’re not competing for the same dollars from the same folks.”

— Don Muret

martin jarmond

ohio state university | Deputy Athletic Director and Chief of Staff

Age: 37

Where born: Goldsboro, N.C.

Education: University of North Carolina at Wilmington (B.A., communication studies, minor in leadership studies); Ohio University (MBA, Master of Sports Administration)

Family: Wife, Jessica; child, Scarlett (18 months)

What do you know now that you wish you’d known at age 20: Have patience, things don’t happen overnight. You are stronger than you think you are.

Profession other than your own you’d most like to attempt: College professor.

Charity supported: After School All-Stars.

Guilty pleasure: Tortilla chips and steam rooms, independently.

Person in the industry you’d most like to meet: Adam Silver.

I’m one of the best I know at … : Connecting with people.

2017 will be a good year if … : I average five workouts a week, including yoga.

The sports industry needs to do a better job of … : Telling the story of the good that we are doing and the lives we are impacting.

Most thrilling/adventurous thing I’ve ever done is … : Skydiving in Switzerland.