UTampa Director of Athletics Larry Marfise to Step Down After Distinguished Tenure
TAMPA, Fla. – After 26 years of leading a winning athletics department, University of Tampa Director of Athletics Larry Marfise has announced his retirement.
During Marfise's tenure, UTampa teams captured 15 NCAA Division II national championships along with four AVCA Small College Beach Volleyball national titles. His first Spartan national championships was men's soccer in 2001 and most recently, in 2024, UTampa won titles in baseball, women's lacrosse, men's swimming and beach volleyball. During those years, UTampa teams won numerous Sunshine State Conference titles, and individual athletes won hundreds of conference and national recognitions.
Marfise also created gender equity plans, introduced new teams, increased participation and school spirit, oversaw athletics fundraising, improved athletic facilities, and consistently saw team GPAs at or above UTampa's overall student GPAs.
Teresa Abi-Nader Dahlberg, president of UTampa, remarked on Marfise's outstanding transformation of UTampa's athletics program into a leading Division 2 powerhouse. "I cannot overstate the profound impact Larry has had on UTampa's co-curricular experience and on the hundreds of student-athletes who have competed on our fields and courts," she said.
Marfise has long had a vision of athletics as a learning lab, in which students are mentored by dedicated teacher/coaches and are expected to be results-oriented, focused, competitive and dedicated to the team.
Joe Urso, who has served as UTampa's baseball coach for 24 years, said Marfise has built the best division 2 athletic program in the country.
"He has created an athletic department that loves and support each other, and we have a bond like no other that has allowed us to be so successful on a national level for decades," Urso said. "He is a true family man that cares about each of his coaches on and off the field. Most of our coaches have been here for over 20 years, showing their loyalty to a great athletic director."
Tom Jessee, who has in his 22nd year as head coach of women's basketball, described Marfise as an "incredible leader" who helped coaches be successful.
"We all need help to be successful, and Larry was always there to provide us with the necessities," Jessee said. "He will be missed. You can't look back at all of UTampa athletic success without thinking about Larry Marfise."
Marfise was an all-conference football player at DePauw College, and in 2013 was named to the DePauw University Athletics Hall of Fame. He served in coaching and athletic administrative positons at Evansville University (Ind.), Ohio University, University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Southern University (La.), St. Mary's College (Calif.) and Ferris State (Mich.).
Marfise's retirement will be effective in November 2025. A national search for a replacement will begin soon, with Marfise staying on through the selection, hiring and onboarding of a replacement.
The University of Tampa is a private, comprehensive university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University has about 200 programs of study and serves approximately 11,450 students from all 50 states and most of the world's countries.