By Amber Louis
TAMPA, Fla. — After winning 22 national championships across the NCAA Division II Tampa Spartans athletic department, Larry Marfise will conclude his tenure as athletic director at the University of Tampa. In his time at UTampa, Marfise built up the athletic department on the foundation of success, creating programs in men’s and women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball, as well as expanding resources now available to students in the department, such as an academic support center and marketing and sports information divisions.
“His attention to creating new opportunities for students has been reflected throughout his career,” said Robert Fiedler, assistant athletic director. “He was always looking out for the best interest of the students.”
Before stepping into the role, Dr. E.J. Brophy was a member of the Athletic Senior Leadership Team at Samford. Previously, Brophy spent 13 years as the director of athletics at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and before that, at the University of West Alabama (UWA). In both positions, Brophy coordinated all external and internal facets of the athletic department and was the chief fundraiser. He was also the director of the Varsity Letterwinner S-Club, which connects former student-athletes with Samford, according to ut.edu.
Photo courtesy of Amber Louis.
“The number one reason that I got into athletic administration is because I want to make a difference in the lives of young people,” said Brophy. “I love giving students the opportunity to trade athletic prowess for a scholarship for a great education.”
Although wins and losses are important to fuel the program, Brophy looks beyond the surface and values other aspects of a successful athletic department. Graduation rates, improved facilities, compliance with NCAA rules, and demonstrating partnership within the Tampa Bay area and Hillsborough County all fall within Brophy’s line of sight in terms of success.
“The ultimate win for any college student is to get a degree from a magnificent school like Tampa,” said Brophy. “We want to win on the fields, courts, and pools as much as we want to win in the community and the classroom.”
Work ethic is a large part of Brophy’s tried and true attitude, shown through not only his athletic career, but also his childhood.
“I grew up in Alabama in a humble family, and work is an important thing. When I got to athletics, it was truly instilled in me. When I was with the Philadelphia Phillies in the early ’90s, it was a situation where if you didn’t play hard and you didn’t work hard, your own teammates would fight you in the dugout,” said Brophy. “I always say you have to run at every ground ball.”
Brophy believes in the commitment of the students who attend UTampa, both athletically and academically. The drive for excellence of the student body is a large motivator of Brophy.
“I think our students come to UTampa for its academics, and want to be excellent and committed in the classroom, burning the midnight oil. Students [of UTampa] come from families committed to excellence, and there’s no doubt the student body is fantastic,” said Brophy.
In addition to fundraising, marketing, and building championship teams, bringing out the crowd to a Spartan sporting event is another large part of athletic directing.
“Once I get to campus on October 1, I need to be listening to our marketing staff, our fans, friends, and alumni, and I need to ask them, ‘Hey, what do you want at our games? What would appeal to you? What initiatives can be brought to make our games and events exciting?’” said Brophy. “You want to make it worth the fans’ while to come out to watch the games, and that’s an objective in our athletic events in the coming months and years.”
The theme of listening to the student-athlete’s body is echoed by the athletic department staff before Brophy’s arrival. Jennifer Alger, Assistant Athletic Director, explains that through the athlete advisory committee, the leadership group represents the student-athlete voice in the highest regard at UTampa.
“We do take our student athletes’ voice in very high regard and we want to listen,” said Alger.
Through Brophy’s passion for helping students through their college athletic experience, inspiration is found at the heart of his family.
“My family inspires me the most,” said Brophy. “They are what motivate me, no doubt, and when you’re the patriarch of the family, it’s your responsibility to take care of them; they put the wind in my sails each day.”
After establishing his career in his home state of Alabama, Brophy made a large change in lifestyle, moving to the Sunshine State. A combination of factors, big and small, brought him to Tampa.
“The biggest part of my decision to move to Florida would be my son, living only an hour and a half north of Tampa, he and his wife are expecting in two weeks,” said Brophy. “My wife recently retired from teaching, and we’re extremely excited for this change, as the new grandbaby is a huge part of this. We are going to miss our daughter in Birmingham, but she’s only a plane ride away.”
Brophy’s arrival marks a new chapter of progress in the Spartan athletics office, creating new changes on a highly developed and strong foundation.
“Change is exciting, and I believe we all have a drive for continued success,” said Alger. “We want to keep that championship mindset and the spirit going. I’m looking forward to seeing his perspective on everything in our department.”
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Thumbnail photo courtesy of Dr. E.J. Brophy.