AT A GLANCE
- 2025-26 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year
- Member of the NADIIIAA Board of Directors
- MIT Athletics Success Under Dr. Grant:
- 6 NCAA Division III National Championships
- 42 Individual/Relay/Boat National Championships
AT MIT
Dr. G. Anthony Grant is in his seventh year as Director of Athletics/DAPER Department Head at MIT in 2026-27.
Grant leads one of the most comprehensive Division III athletics programs in the country. Grant directs a department featuring 33 intercollegiate teams, including four Division I rowing programs, while providing opportunities for over 800 student-athletes.
MIT has achieved remarkable success under his leadership, winning six NCAA team national championships. Most recently, MIT finished 11th in the 2025-26 LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings while capturing the NEWMAC Women's Presidents Cup for the 11th straight season and 12th time overall. Grant was recognized by his peers as one of 28 recipients of the NACDA Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2025-26, following a remarkable 2024-25 academic year that saw the Engineers win four NCAA championships.
Women's swimming and diving captured the first national title in program history, while the women's cross country and track and field program swept all three NCAA championships in 2024-25, a historic first for an NCAA Division III women's program and the first MIT women's titles in cross country, as well as women's indoor and outdoor track and field. The year also saw MIT win 13 individual national champions, with 158 student-athletes earning All-American honors, 166 named All-Region, 227 named All-Conference, and 24 named CSC Academic All-America. Multiple head and assistant coaches claimed national, regional, and conference recognition. Nine teams claimed conference titles, while MIT earned seven NCAA/national top 10 finishes, as men's indoor track and field (7th), men's swimming and diving (9th) and men's lightweight crew joined the four national title winners.
Despite having begun his tenure at MIT just weeks prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, MIT has continued to excel and grow under Grant's leadership, as MIT has finished in the top 11 of the NACDA LEARFIELD Directors' Cup standings every year since MIT returned to play following the pandemic. In 2022 the men's cross country program captured its first title and the men's outdoor track and field program won the outdoor championship in 2023. The men's cross country title in 2022 was the first NCAA team title in MIT history.
Grant was instrumental in negotiating an exciting re-branding effort that included the transition of the team uniforms and other apparel to Nike, as he worked in conjunction with BSN Sports as the official apparel provider. He also increased fundraising efforts with a record-breaking year for annual gifts in 2022. Grant has overseen several key initiatives, including a record-breaking fundraising campaign and a $5 million renovation to the varsity athletics Sports Performance Center that reopened in 2024-25. Most recently, MIT completed a state-of-the-art facility upgrade and turf renovation of the Fran O'Brien Baseball Field and Briggs Softball Field as well as a comprehensive renovation of the Johnson Athletic Center indoor track.
In addition to the on-and off-field accomplishments of MIT's student-athletes and coaches, Grant has intentionally strengthened department culture by focusing on MIT's mission and shared values and behaviors, which were re-branded in 2020 under his leadership. Grant embodies an open-door leadership style, creating an environment where staff at all levels feel comfortable engaging with him. He values feedback and open communication, and fosters a supportive, respectful, and inclusive environment. He actively supports employee initiatives and has worked with student-athlete leaders to enhance the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) to improve real-time feedback collection and engagement at meetings.
PRIOR TO MIT
Grant came to MIT from Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), where he served as the director of athletics since July 2015. At MSU Denver, he oversaw 16 NCAA Division II teams, over 200 student-athletes and 50 coaches and staff members. During his five-year tenure, Grant focused on the student-athlete experience and aligning the mission of the athletic department with the overall mission of the institution and the Denver community. He also developed a three-year strategic plan for the department from 2017-20 titled, “Building Our Legacy: Continuous Pursuit of Excellence.”
Grant enhanced the national profile of Roadrunners Athletics by successfully hosting the 2016 NCAA Division II Spring Sport Festival and orchestrating MSU Denver as the host site of the NCAA Division II Softball World Series in 2019, 2021 and 2022. The Roadrunners also served as the host site for the 2018 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Regional and the 2019 NCAA Division II Volleyball National Championship. Grant negotiated a new partnership with Nike and Eastbay to bring jerseys and apparel to MSU Denver Athletics, with that agreement going through 2020 with an option to extend through 2022. Under his leadership, the MSU Denver athletics department received a transformational gift for student-athlete scholarships, leading to the naming of the Cohen Center for Athletics at the Regency Athletic Complex.
During his time at MSU Denver, Grant was involved in a number of community organizations, including the Denver Metro Leadership Foundation, Teach for America Colorado (Board Member) and the Denver Sports Commission (Board Member).
OTHER EXPERIENCES
Grant's leadership extends beyond MIT, as he is involved with NACDA and MOAA and as a member of the NADIIIAA Board of Directors. He was also selected to serve on the NCAA DIII Analysis Working Group and serves as an adjunct professor in the Woods College of Advancing Studies Masters of Science in Sports Administration program at Boston College.
Prior to MSU Denver, Grant served as the interim director of athletics at Millersville University (Pa.), where he also served as associate director of athletics for seven years. At Millersville, he directed a multimillion-dollar budget and helped fundraise $250,000 for the area. In addition, Grant implemented a comprehensive academic support program that resulted in more than 100 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athletes annually over a six-year period. In addition, Grant served as the athletic academic coordinator at the University of Iowa for two years. He served as the chair of the NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee and is the former chair of the RMAC Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
EDUCATION
Grant holds a bachelor's degree from Penn State University. He earned his master’s degree from Temple University in sport and recreation, before going on to complete his Ph.D. in health and sport studies with a specialization in athletic administration from the University of Iowa.
FAMILY LIFE
Anthony and his wife, Lisa, have three children: Gianna, Jadyn and Preston.
