LI's Tom Theodorakis is commander in chief of Army athletics

Springtime in 2000 arrived for Ward Melville’s boys lacrosse team, and the Patriots had this promising sophomore destined to work someday at a place full of patriots.

Tom Theodorakis contributed that season to coach Joe Cuozzo’s seventh state high school championship.

Two years later, the defenseman  was a team captain and an All-America honorable mention selection.

“As a senior, in 2002, he wore No. 44 on his jersey, which goes to the best defenseman at Ward Melville for that particular year,” said Cuozzo, the former 38-year Patriots coach now  retired. “Tom was a very devoted, dedicated, hard-working player, easy to coach, coachable as they say, and was a big part of our program.

“… He was a leader through his example, and he was a quiet leader. He wasn’t a get-in-your-face type of guy.”

 Theodorakis turned 41 earlier this year. And he’s still a leader — but now it's at an entirely different  level.

The United States Military Academy conducted a national search for a new athletic director and ultimately decided the best person was right there at West Point all along. In February, Theodorakis was promoted from deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer.

This man from Stony Brook is now in charge of 30 teams and is reveling in his role.

“It’s very humbling,” Theodorakis said. “For me, at times, it’s overwhelming. And it’s not out of a sense of insecurity. It’s more out of a deep appreciation and understanding of what the role of director of athletics is to the United States Military Academy.

“Being an athlete is a really important concept and part of the mission to this institution. It’s really important in developing leaders of character and really important in developing second lieutenants. And that’s what these men and women are doing when they graduate.

“So to have a role in that, to work with coaches who are recruiting these men and women, to have the ability to get them an environment and an experience that they deserve, that they could develop, is really important to me in my responsibility. So it’s a lot. But I’ll tell you, it’s one that I certainly welcome and feels right.”

Family matters

In this scenic spot above the Hudson, amid the discipline and the structure, Theodorakis has gone about creating a supportive, family feel in the athletic department.

He held a big coaches and staff meeting right away and shared his short-term plans.

“A lot of it was just connecting, to be honest,” said Tracy Chao, the two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year for the Black Knights women’s soccer team. “He wanted to ensure that he was connecting with every admin, support staff, coach and their team.

“He scheduled a time to chat with every single team and he met with our women’s soccer team in the spring and just had a few minutes to be able to say, ‘Hey, this is who I am. My name is Tom Theodorakis, Theo for short. And I just want you to know that I’m here to support you.’ He just wants to ensure that he’s someone who’s recognizable to not only the coaches … but just to the cadet athletes.

“He makes it a really big emphasis on who’s your family, your spouses and kids and wants to make sure he’s a part of that. It’s not just, ‘I’m your AD.’ ”

Army's new AD was born in Syracuse. His dad, Michael, was in medical school at Syracuse. The family moved to Stony Brook when Theodorakis was just one year old.

After he went back to play for Syracuse — winning a national championship as a reserve in 2004 — he realized his calling.

“I make that joke that I’m that living, breathing example of the NCAA model,” Theodorakis said. “I was somebody who benefited from that structure of having such amazing coaches and administrators and support staff.

“It had such a profound impact on me. I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to it just because I believed in it and the impact that it could have on young people. So I didn’t necessarily know what that would look like, but I said, ‘You know what? Director of Athletics could be a great goal one day.’ ”

Building a resume

So he began at Air Force in marketing and development and as a volunteer assistant men’s lacrosse coach. Then he moved on to assistant or associate athletic director roles, going to Arizona, then UCLA, then back to Arizona.

In 2021, he became a Harvard man in athletics as the Senior Associate Director of Development.

He joined the Army cause in July of 2022 as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations under then-AD Mike Buddie. Theodorakis’ move to deputy AD and chief revenue officer came in March of 2024.

His big achievement? Helping raise much of the funding for the $170 million Michie Stadium Preservation Project.

The acclaimed stadium for Army football, lacrosse and graduations that presidents attend is being renovated — no small deal to Theodorakis.

“When you see these ESPN lists of top venues, Michie Stadium is always on that list,” he said. “It’s always top 10, and there’s a reason why. It’s so rich in history. Iconic. And it’s absolutely beautiful in the fall with the foliage and everything.

“But we also have the flyovers. … You have the parachuters. You have the cadets there. It’s so special for so many reasons, not just the football game. For us to now be renovating it, it’s taking what’s already an iconic stadium and modernizing it. How rare is it to have that opportunity for a building that just so iconic, like Yankee Stadium.”

Buddie, who took over as AD at Texas Christian University at the start of this year, knows from Yankee Stadium, the old version. He has a championship ring after pitching for the 1998 Yankees. And he has a good idea why Theodorakis should succeed.

“Having gone through it firsthand, it is not easy to walk into a place like West Point having never served your country and building relationships and trust,” Buddie said from Fort Worth, Texas. “That can be a challenge. That is probably what Theo does best. He’s the most genuine, authentic guy. He tells you what he’s thinking. He’s a humble servant.

“In our overlap there at Army, that’s why we were able to raise money for Michie Stadium, and that’s why we were able to continue to push to put our athletes in a position to beat Navy as much as possible.”

Here to stay?

After the announcement of Theodorakis’ elevation to AD, he received an email from his old high school coach.

“I just said, ‘Tom, I just heard the news. I’m so proud of you. I know you’ll do a great job there. You certainly have earned your way into that position,’ ” Cuozzo said.

Theodorakis lives at West Point with his wife, Robyn, a former swimmer for Arizona State, and their 10-year-old daughter, Olivia.

The aura of it always strikes him.

“What’s unique about West Point is the people,” Theodorakis said. “Everywhere you look, if you look at our neighborhood, it’s just full of decorated individuals, people that have done truly amazing things, who have served our country, who have dedicated a life to service.

“To be around that on a daily basis, to pass by the cemetery and think about the men and women who not only decided to go to school here but, again, to serve our country and defend our freedom … you’re hit with it all the time about how special this place is.

“And I’ll tell you, the best part about it is just interacting with these cadets.”

Last stop? Theodorakis sure hopes so.

“I want to be at West Point forever,” he said. “This is the best place on the planet.”