A rising star in the arena of athletic administration, Mario Moccia (pronounced Mo-chuh) was named director of athletics at SIU in August of 2006, with a mandate to build upon the department's recent success.

The results of Moccia's first year at SIU were impressive. Not only did four teams win conference championships, but the men's basketball program advanced to the Sweet 16 and climbed to its highest national ranking in school history. Football made its fourth-straight NCAA Playoff appearance, beating Big Ten Indiana along the way. The women's basketball team won the Missouri Valley Conference for the first time in 20 years and qualified for the National Invitation Tournament, and the softball team extended its string of NCAA Tournament appearances to five. Equally impressive were the marks Saluki student-athletes posted in the classroom. The average GPA in the spring semester was a department-record 3.01. The cumulative GPA of all student-athletes also rose to a school-best 3.00. Four programs (football, volleyball, softball and women's cross country) were nationally recognized for academic excellence.

Moccia has taken bold steps to ensure SIU's continued success. Moccia has "locked up" the department's marquee head coaches by restructuring the contracts of men's basketball coach Chris Lowery and women's basketball coach Dana Eikenberg. Furthermore, he has made remarkable progress on the Saluki Way facilities plan, clearing a pathway for construction to begin on a new football stadium, renovated SIU Arena and administrative building in the near future. Since arriving on campus, the energetic Moccia has "spread the Saluki gospel" by speaking to seemingly any and every area group and organization. He has met with donors big and small, explaining his vision for athletic programs and facilities that take a back seat to none. Saluki fans have responded to Moccia's message with an outpouring of support.

In addition to record-breaking ticket sales last season, the Saluki Athletic Scholarship Fund (SASF) reported its best year in school history. Prospects are lining up to contribute to Saluki Way, fans are stocking up on Saluki merchandise in record numbers and licensing revenues are at an all-time high. Moccia has a proven track record when it comes to program building.

In his previous position as Senior Associate AD for External Operations at the University of Missouri, he oversaw the largest fund raising effort in the history of Mizzou Athletics with the Champions For Life campaign. The external components of the athletics department at Missouri were routinely recognized as among the best in college athletics. During his tenure (1998-2006), Missouri posted record football season ticket sales, an increase of more than $3 million in annual giving over a five-year period, gross sales of more than $1.3 million at the Tiger Team Store in 2004 and a media relations department which produced award-winning media guides.

Prior to Missouri, Moccia was associate athletics director at Texas State University in San Marcos from 1997 to 1998, and he was director of sales and assistant director of the Lobo Club for the athletic department at the University of New Mexico from 1993 to 1997. Moccia holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from New Mexico State University (1989), where he was the Most Valuable Player of the Aggie baseball team in 1988 and 1989. As a senior, he was a preseason All-American and was later drafted by the Detroit Tigers. He spent two years playing in the Tigers' organization before beginning his sports administration career.

Moccia earned a master's degree in sports administration from the University of New Mexico (1993). In 1998, he was named to the New Mexico State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Moccia is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and serves on several regional and national committees. Mario and his wife, Heidi, reside in nearby Murphysboro with their newborn daughter, Addie.