FORT MYERS, Fla. — It was standing room only at The Boardwalk on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University Monday afternoon. A packed house was on hand as Brian Barrio, the newly-minted FGCU Director of Athletics, was formally introduced to Southwest Florida.

Barrio, the fourth athletic director in FGCU history, was introduced by Kitty Green, the university's Vice President for University Advancement.

"Just being on campus for a few days, I can feel the pride everywhere that our stakeholders have for FGCU," Barrio said. "Our coaches, staff, student-athletes, fans, and donors are all proud of what they are a part of. I am fired up for what we are going to accomplish together," he finished.
 

Barrio, who spent four years at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) before making his way to Southwest Florida, stressed the importance of success in all areas during his address to Eagle supporters. He oversaw 11 America East Conference championships with the Retrievers, while the UMBC athletic department had a 996 overall APR score, with 10 teams posting perfect 1,000 marks. Accolades similar to the FGCU department that he will lead that won the 2024-25 ASUN All-Sports Trophy while notching a 994 department wide APR with 11 teams earning perfect 1,000 marks.

When asked how he would measure success at FGCU, Barrio said there were three pillars: "We want our student-athletes to graduate and be proud of being from FGCU. We want to win championships. And we want our community to know that we are their Southwest Florida home team."

Green announced that the university has added the Director of Athletics position to the president's cabinet and noted that, after the group met with Barrio, the cabinet was "confident in leading FGCU Athletics into its next chapter." Barrio echoed his excitement about being a part of the cabinet, saying, "The cabinet has a clear plan, vision, and growth mindset for the university and FGCU Athletics."



Barrio acknowledged that there were obvious challenges in today's ever-evolving collegiate athletics landscape but also showed his willingness to take the challenge head-on, saying, "We are going to be resourceful and relentless in figuring out this landscape. There is a good foundation that has been set here, but we are going to look up in a few years and say, FGCU is further than anyone else thought possible," Barrio said to the Eagle faithful.

After wrapping up the press conference portion of the afternoon, Barrio was greeted by FGCU fans, donors, and media members to kick off what the Eagles hope is a bright new chapter of FGCU Athletics.

The FGCU athletics year begins on Aug. 12, when the Eagles women's soccer team hosts Houston at 7 p.m. at Pickering Field.

Season tickets for the 2026-27 campaign are now on sale for all sports and are available online at FGCUtickets.com or at the Alico Arena box office.
 
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