ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF PROMOTIONS AND SALES Bill Holohan

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Email: wholohan@bemidjistate.edu

Tel: (218) 755-2727

Bemidji State University Director of Athletics Dr. Rick Goeb July 27 announced the hiring of William F. Holohan IV as Assistant Director of Athletic Promotions and Sales.  He officially begins his duties at Bemidji State Aug. 15.

Holohan joins the BSU staff after a two-year stint as a sports marketing coordinator at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. There he managed the advertising and promotions schedule for four Division I programs, which included two nationally-ranked teams, while he assisted with promotions for many of the university’s other 31 sport programs.  

At Yale he gained practical experience in direct brand management, public relations and used detailed market research to target, promote and increase attendance at athletic events.  He also designed and implemented game day promotions, worked to foster the Yale Athletics Kid’s Club through promotions specifically geared towards youth and established a network that included the likes of fans and area high schools for direct and online marketing.  

In addition, Holohan has had a hand in planning and hosting major NCAA Division I tournaments.  He served as the head of external marketing for the 2011 NCAA East Regional Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament in Bridgeport, Conn. and was part of the organizing group for the first round of the 2011 WNIT, the Ivy League Championships and the ECAC Hockey Tournaments.

“Bill Holohan comes to Bemidji State with a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm.  His experience within athletics and at NCAA regional tournaments certainly has provided him with the knowledge we were looking for,” said Goeb.

“This is an important position to the athletic department,: added Goeb. “The need for someone to handle the advertising and promotional opportunities has increased due to competing in high-profile conferences and enhanced athletic venues, such as Sanford Center.”  

In his new position, Holohan will be responsible for cultivating corporate partnerships for sponsorships, in-game promotions and advertising.  He will also play an important role in the development and implementation of a marketing plan focusing on season ticket sales along with group ticket sales.

“I am very excited to jump on board,” said Holohan. “This is a great opportunity for me to expand on the principles I learned in my time at Springfield College and Yale University, blaze my own trail and be a part of a great University in a wonderful community.”  He added, “I see this as a great time to be at Bemidji State.  I am really excited.”

Prior to his time at Yale, Holohan’s endeavors broadened his experience beyond the collegiate athletic department.  He was the chair of external marketing for the 2010 Innovative Approaches to Sport and Recreation for Persons with Disabilities: Strategies for Community and Therapeutic Recreation Symposium and worked in the Winooski Public School system, teaching third grade English and Spanish.

A native of Branford, Conn., Holohan is a 2008 graduate of University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in Latin American studies. Holohan went on to earn his master’s degree in sports management from Springfield College in the spring of 2011.