RYAN MENLEY JOINS SKYHAWK PERSONNEL AS ASSOCIATE ATHLETIC DIRECTOR FOR EXTERNAL BUSINESS

MARTIN, Tennessee- University of Tennessee at Martin athletic director Kurt McGuffin has announced the hiring of Ryan Menley as the new assistant athletic director for the Department of External Operations.

Menley, who will join Skyhawk Athletics on Sept. 1, spent the last 12 years at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. He was the athletic department’s communications director from 2011-2017 before moving on to become the creative director of content for the last five Years.

“I worked with Ryan at Missouri Western and his video content is the highest quality ever,” said McGuffin. “Every hiring decision is critical, but what makes this job so important is that he’s involved in all of our sports while also working alongside every head coach and every student athlete. He is a talented storyteller and brings a vision that will delight our fanbase, alumni and student athletes.”

Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Menley is an award-winning sports and newswriter with over 20 years of broadcast and video production experience. At Missouri Western, he built an innovative sports video production division from the ground up as he was responsible for all video content creation including highlights, commercials, hype videos and feature stories. At the time, the division was one of the first of its kind at the NCAA Division II level.

Menley oversaw and directed the production of live video boards and live broadcasts while also serving in an administrative role and serving as Senator for the Missouri Western Staff Association Senate. He was an adjunct professor in the university’s communications department and a co-advisor to MWSU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, helping to raise tens of thousands of dollars for charitable projects.

“I am humbled, honored and excited to join the Skyhawk family,” said Menley. “I want to say thank you Kurt McGuffin for entrusting me with this opportunity. He and I go back a long way and I have great respect for his work ethic and leadership style. These are really cool times at UT Martin. In terms of content, we go far beyond highlights and hype videos – we celebrate our success by telling real, authentic stories.”

In addition to his college-level experience, Menley spent 15 years in sports media. He was a radio color analyst for ESPN 1550 AM in St. Joseph for five years after spending a decade in the television business. From 2002 to 2010 he was the sports director for KQTV in St. Joseph and from 2000 to 2002 he was the sports producer for KSDK-TV in St. Louis.

In a span of seven years, Menley has won six National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) awards for digital video content. He was a recipient of the 2020-21 Service to the University Award at Missouri Western and was also recognized as Griffons’ SOAR Advisor of the Year in the same year. In his sports media role, he received four Emmy Awards and was a three-time winner of the Missouri Broadcasters Award for feature coverage.

Menley attended Maryville University, where he was a baseball student and athlete while majoring in English.