Jay Larson is the Co-Director of Athletics at Cal. Larson and Jenny Simon-O'Neill – who serves alongside Larson as Co-Director of Athletics – formally transitioned into the positions on July 2, 2025.
UC Berkeley Chancellor Rich Lyons appointed Larson and Simon-O'Neill to their new roles through the 2025-26 academic year under a new, innovative leadership structure.
Larson previously held the role of Deputy Athletics Director, playing an integral role in the overall leadership and management of Cal's athletic department. Since Larson began his tenure with Cal Athletics in 2015, the department has had 17 teams win national championships and been a regular Top-20 finisher in the national Learfield Directors Cup standings. The athletics department’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR) has also risen from 78% to a record 93%. Larson played an instrumental role in securing a $12.5 million gift and designing the vision for the Cameron Institute for Student-Athlete Development, which has become the national model for student-athlete support.
Larson has led the athletics department and University’s efforts to adapt and thrive in the ever-changing landscape of college sports, including the transfer portal; Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) legislation, and the NCAA House Settlement. Most recently, Larson developed the athletics department’s model for revenue sharing with student-athletes.
Larson has served as the sport administrator for Cal's football program since 2018. In this role, in concert with the athletics director, he managed all aspects of the football program - including day-to-day operations, scheduling, budget, personnel, student-athlete experience and capital improvements. During Larson’s tenure in this role, the program earned four bowl berths - the Cheez-It Bowl (2018), the Redbox Bowl (2019), the Independence Bowl (20230 and the LA Bowl (20240. He also played an instrumental role in securing, organizing and implementing the 2024 ESPN College GameDay appearance at UC Berkeley, which was named Best Gameday Scene of the Year by ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit.
Larson has also served as the sport administrator for the women’s water polo, men’s tennis and rugby programs. During his tenure overseeing these programs, the rugby program won the 2025 D1A National Collegiate Championship, the men’s tennis program had seven NCAA tournament berths - including a national semifinals appearance in 2016 - and the women’s water polo program made seven trips to the NCAA tournament, advancing to the national semifinals five times and reaching the 2024 NCAA championship game. Larson hired head women’s water polo coach Coralie Simmons in 2016, and she became the first woman to ever coach in an NCAA women’s water polo national title game. Larson also hired head men’s tennis coach Kris Kwinta in 2021, and he led the program to a Top 10 national ranking during the 2025 season.
Larson led Cal's athletic compliance office from 2015-2021, developing the unit’s strategic priorities and creating model systems to ensure institutional control and enhance the department’s culture of compliance. In this role, Larson received the 2018 Berkeley Excellence in Management award.
Larson has served as the athletics department’s liaison to critical units across campus, including the Offices of Admissions, Financial Aid, Housing, the Graduate Division, UC Extension, Government Relations, Office of Legal Affairs, and Berkeley International Office. Larson has established strong relationships with UC Berkeley faculty as a member of the Academic Integrity Committee and while serving as a liaison to the University Athletic Board (UAB), Student-Athlete Admissions Committee (SAAC), and the Admissions, Enrollment and Preparatory Education (AEPE) Committee of the Academic Senate.
Larson has been active in the athletic department’s efforts to generate revenue through philanthropy and other revenue streams. In addition to helping secure the $12.5 million gift to create the Cameron Institute, Larson helped secure a gift to expand the master’s program in sport for the UC Berkeley School of Education, providing greater opportunities for student-athletes to earn a graduate degree. Larson regularly collaborates with the marketing, development, ticketing and Learfield staffs on revenue generating initiatives, including leading efforts to create new premium seating areas in California Memorial Stadium and a fan travel experience to Notre Dame in 2022. Larson led the athletics department’s activities surrounding the 125th Big Game, resulting in the first sellout crowd in a decade.
Prior to Cal, Larson spent seven years as an athletics administrator at San Diego State University and three years at the University of Minnesota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he participated on the basketball team. He earned a juris doctor degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served as a managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He is a member of the Minnesota State Bar.
Larson and his wife, Mary, have three sons - Kai, Roman, and AJ. He has served as a coach for El Cerrito Youth Baseball (ECYB) since 2021.
Updated: July 2, 2025
