Dr. Kenneth “Ziggy” Siegfried, California State University, Bakersfield’s director of athletics, has accepted the same role at the University of Evansville in Evansville, Ind. and will step down as the leader of the Roadrunners in the coming weeks.
CSUB President Dr. Lynnette Zelezny called Siegfried’s new appointment “a heartfelt loss” to the university.
“Dr. Siegfried is an extraordinary leader who models integrity to his scholar-athletes, staff and our entire community,” Zelezny said. “He has always emphasized success in the classroom comes first, and our scholar-athletes have responded, with consistently high grade point averages and graduation rates. I’m so happy that this move will put Dr. Siegfried and his wife and children closer to family, but we will miss him dearly.”
A 10-year member of the CSUB Athletics Department, Siegfried was named the program’s third-ever director of athletics on Aug. 20, 2015. The `Runners have achieved new heights in academic performance and athletic success during his tenure in Bakersfield. CSUB has reset records in graduation success rate, Athletics Department GPA, and academic progress rate in Siegfried’s time in Bakersfield.
“There is no way I can describe what CSUB Athletics, the university, and the greater community have meant to me and my family,” Siegfried said. “Bakersfield has been home for the last 10 years and CSUB has been our family. It is hard to make this change, but this is a great opportunity for us and we are extremely excited.”
A total of seven teams have won Conference Championships with Siegfried at the helm, including baseball (2015), men’s basketball (2016), wrestling (2016), softball (2016), and volleyball (2014 and 2017). Additionally, the men’s basketball team won the program’s first regular-season WAC Championship in 2017.
Dr. Thomas Wallace, vice president for student affairs, called Siegfried a game-changer for CSUB.
“Dr. Siegfried has always understood that our scholar-athletes are scholars first, and athletes second,” Wallace said. “And he has helped create a culture of access and opportunity that celebrates the diversity of our students, staff and community. We are a better institution because of Dr. Siegfried.”
Individually, Roadrunners have won 19 WAC titles, six Pac-12 titles, three MPSF gold medals, and ten major conference awards since Siegfried took over as the interim director of athletics in 2015.
“I couldn’t have asked for anybody better to lead our Athletics Department,” said Vanessa Austin, a senior `Runner on the Bakersfield women’s basketball team. “When I came to CSUB in 2017, Ziggy welcomed me with open arms and our relationship grew throughout the years.”
A vocal leader at CSUB and among the Big West Conference, Austin credited Siegfried’s guidance for her opportunity to make an impact: “He encouraged me to join committees and allowed for me to have my voice be heard. Getting that experience and having him trust me to be on these committees was great for my growth. These are relationships that are going to last forever and it’s because of him and because he gave me that platform.”
Siegfried and his young family will be moving to Evansville, which sits just five hours away from his hometown of Memphis, Tenn.
A search committee will soon be formed with the goal of concluding a national search for Bakersfield’s new director of athletics by the start of the fall 2022 semester. Wallace plans to appoint an interim director of athletics in the near future, ensuring CSUB Athletics continues to provide its scholar-athletes and fans with an exceptional experience.
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