David Sayler has been Miami’s athletic director since Jan. 2, 2013 and signed a five-year contract extension back on Dec. 29, 2021.
Since his arrival, Sayler has preached the mission of “Graduating Champions,” an approach that provides guidance and support (fundraising) to Miami student athletes in the pursuit of excellence both in the classroom (graduate) and on the field (win championships).
To that end, Miami was named the winner of the Cartwright Award and unprecedented three-straight years, earning the honor in 2017-2018, 2018-19 and 2020-21 (it was not awarded in 2019-20). The award is voted on by all Mid-American Conference institutions and recognizes the best Athletic Department in the conference in the areas of academics, community service and competitive results.
In 2018-19 Sayler guided a department that captured both the Reese and Jacoby Trophies for the top men’s and women’s program in the MAC in addition to its second straight Cartwright Award. Miami added school records in Coaches of the Year (7) and Players of the Year (10), cementing 2018-19 as one of the greatest single years in Miami Athletics history.
Miami’s historic success continued in Fall 2019 as the RedHawks won five MAC Championships, including football’s first regular season and MAC Championship title since 2010. Volleyball won its fourth straight regular season title and field hockey continued its brilliance, capturing the regular season and tournament titles.
Despite the chaos of COVID-19 in 2020-21, Miami won its 25th Reese Trophy, finished third in the Jacoby Trophy standings, a fraction of a point out of first, and again seized the Cartwright Award. Field hockey won another MAC Championship, while softball shattered the MAC record books en route to its second-straight MAC title and men’s swimming & diving and men’s outdoor track & field each claimed MAC crowns.
2021-22 continued to build upon previous success, capturing six MAC titles. Field hockey and softball each won the regular season and conference tournament, men's swimming defended its MAC crown and tennis won the regular season championship. Miami's dominance continued into 2022-23, capturing six regular season and two tournament championships.
2023-24 was more of the same for Miami Athletics. Football won its second MAC Championship in the past five years, while men's swimming won its fourth straight MAC Championships. Field hockey and softball continued to shine, capturing regular season and MAC Tournament titles. Sayler also spent this past season serving on the College Football Playoff Selection Commitee and will continue to do so for the next two years.
As good as all of those other years are, 2024-25 will go down as one of the greatest season in Miami Athletics history. The RedHawks captured both the Reese and Jacoby trophies and added a historic 10 championships. Synchronized skating captured a collegiate national championship, men's swimming won it's fifth-straight conference title, tennis and football won the regular season and field hockey, baseball and softball each added a regular season and tournament championship. The RedHawks posted four All-Americans, three coach of the year award winners and six player of the year/tournament honorees.
Early in Sayler's arrival, he launched Miami’s Graduating Champions Campaign, which surpassed its $80 million goal since beginning in 2015 and successfully concluded with over $82 million raised. That fundraising has come in many forms, highlighted by the Athletic Performance Center (opened Feb, 2017) that overlooks Yager Stadium and the David and Anita Dauch Indoor Sports Center, which opened in February, 2014. Sayler has also added an addition to Hayden Park for baseball, new lights, seating and flooring for Millett Hall, a weight room for the Goggin Ice Center, new outdoor courts for the tennis program and an updated press box and concourse level for soccer.
While the fundraising aspect during Sayler’s tenure has been impressive, Miami has also been dominant on the playing surface. Miami has won 74 conference championships (as of Aug., 2025) since Sayler stepped foot on campus and has seen several squads accomplish post season success. Miami football is 49-19 in its last 68 MAC contests, best in the league. Hockey made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed in 2014-15. Field hockey has made 10 straight MAC Championship games and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 Softball upset Notre Dame in the NCAA Tournament in 2016 and basically smashed every MAC offensive record the past five seasons and volleyball advanced to two straight NCAA Tournaments in 2016 and 2017. Just this past year, baseball won a MAC regular season and tournament championship for the first time since 2005.
Next on that list is to not just graduate, but graduate in an impressive way. In the last nine years, Miami has recorded at least a 3.20 grade-point average each semester. In 2013-14 the RedHawks captured the MAC Academic Achievement Award and during the Spring of 2020, the RedHawks posted a career-best 3.64 GPA.
Prior to joining Miami, Sayler served as the Director of Athletics at South Dakota for two years. As South Dakota’s Athletic Director, Sayler emphasized the improvement of the student-athlete’s overall experience and instilling a renewed sense of pride in Coyote athletics.
Among his accomplishments were securing USD’s 2012 membership in the Missouri Valley Football Conference and leading the way for USD’s aggressive Master Facilities Plan, which included new facilities for basketball, outdoor track and field, and soccer. Sayler secured a $20 million private gift, the largest single contribution in South Dakota athletics history. He also raised funds for a new basketball floor, which was introduced in 2011-12, and football turf, which made its debut in the fall of 2012.
Sayler has also spent time at Rice, Oregon State, Bowling Green, Houston, Hartford, Georgia and UConn.
After graduation from Ohio Wesleyan University (1991) with a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting, Sayler worked three years in the private sector, spending time with Ernst & Young in Cleveland and Peterson Consulting in Chicago. Sayler was inducted into the Miami Valley High School (class of 1987) Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Sayler, born Sept. 6, 1969 in Greenwich, Conn., is married to the former Katie Fitzgerald of Bowling Green, Ohio. The couple has two sons, Connor Jameson and Liam Patrick.
