UC San Diego hires athletic director with ties to Southern California, Tritons’ new league

UC San Diego has a new conference and, now, a new athletic director.

Andy Fee was named the Tritons’ AD on Wednesday, three months after Earl Edwards moved to an athletic director emeritus role.

Fee comes to La Jolla from Seattle University, where he spent the last year as deputy athletic director as the Redhawks moved into the West Coast Conference. Before that, Fee spent two years as deputy athletic director and chief of staff at the University of Washington. Among his job responsibilities, Fee handled the Huskies’ partnership with Learfield Sports Properties, worked on NIL opportunities, served as the primary administrator for the men’s basketball program and helped guide UW into the Big Ten Conference.

That experience could be instructive in his new job. UCSD announced last week that it would join the WCC starting in the 2027-28 academic year. The step up in competition will require more travel and bring higher costs than in the Big West, which is comprised primarily of schools throughout Southern and Central California.

“I am honored and excited to join UC San Diego as athletics director during such a dynamic time for Triton athletics,” Fee said.

Fee said UCSD’s athletics goal “is clear: make UC San Diego the top D1-AAA athletic department in America, with basketball leading the charge and deepening our connections with the campus and San Diego community. I look forward to working with our outstanding coaches, staff, scholar-athletes, and partners to write the next exciting chapter of Triton athletics.”

Before Washington, Fee spent five years (2017-22) as the AD at Big West rival Long Beach State. The Beach won a pair of national championships in men’s volleyball and claimed the Big West Commissioner’s Cup three times. Fee has also worked at UC Santa Barbara, Arizona State and USD. While with the Toreros, Fee lived in North Park and was in charge of the Toreros’ facilities and operations. From 2018-22, Fee chaired the NCAA Men’s Water Polo Committee and NCAA Water Polo Rules Committee.

Fee replaces Edwards, who moved to an emeritus role following 25 years in charge of Tritons sports. Edwards said he is “thrilled to pass the baton” to Fee during what he called a “historic time at UC San Diego.”

“His proven experience in fundraising, the job he did in leading a Big West institution to sustained competitive success, his impactful time on a fellow UC campus, and his work transitioning both Washington and Seattle U to new conferences will allow Andy to move the Tritons forward at this crossroads in our history,” Edwards said. “I trust that he will successfully build on the foundation here and am excited to see the future of Triton athletics.”

A native of Laguna Niguel, Fee graduated from Arizona State and earned a master’s degree from the University of Phoenix. Fee will start on Monday, and will be working full time on campus by next month.