Jack Marucci – LSU

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Jack Marucci

Title

Director of Performance Innovation

Email

jmarucc@lsu.edu

Phone

(225) 578-2451

Alma Mater

West Virginia (1986)

Jack Marucci, LSU’s Director of Athletic Training for 25 years, was elevated to the role of Director of Performance Innovation in June 2021. He is entering his fourth year in his role.

Marucci uses his expertise in sports science to develop new ways for all of LSU’s student-athletes to prosper in competition. His position is believed to be the first of its kind in college athletics.

In Marucci’s 25 years leading LSU’s athletic training staff, his work was instrumental in helping the Tigers win three national championships and five Southeastern Conference titles in football.

Some of Marucci’s recent projects that helped elevate the LSU football program include eye dominance/eye tracking testing, which was done for the first time following the 2018 season. Marucci’s findings on eye tracking testing helped position LSU for the best passing and receiving season in school history in 2019, which ultimately led to an undefeated season and a national title. He also has contributed to significant work around concussion prevention, core temperature monitoring, and ACL repair and recovery.

In addition to his eye tracking study, other recent works from Marucci and his staff include quantitative character studies, SportsSense testing focused on an athletes’ cognitive skill set, and athletes’ processing and reaction times.

Marucci introduced LSU football to the “Seeker,” the first robotic quarterback in football, which allows the Tiger wide receivers to get unlimited reps any time of year without having to wear out the arm of a quarterback.

As part of Marucci’s position, he utilizes his existing relationships to foster collaboration and bring awareness to LSU’s commitment to innovation in an effort to raise money to help support the program. In addition, he assists with the creation of a program to keep former student-athletes involved in LSU Athletics after the completion of their college careers.

Marucci has always advocated for LSU’s student-athletes to have a meaningful and sustainable life beyond sport, and this program provides an opportunity for long-term support.

As LSU’s Director of Athletic Training for 25 years, Marucci oversaw the training operation for all 21 varsity sports, which included supervising a staff of 13 full-time trainers, three nutrition staff members, and seven graduate assistants.

An experienced trainer with a strong background in collegiate athletics, Marucci helped design the Broussard Center for Athletic Training at Tiger Stadium as well as the one located in the Football Operations Building, which the football team operates out of on a daily basis.

Marucci served as an assistant athletic trainer at Florida State from 1988-96, a stint that included eight bowl trips with the Seminoles. While in Tallahassee, he also served as the host trainer for two NCAA regional baseball tournaments.

Marucci graduated from West Virginia in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and then gained his master’s from Alabama in 1988, serving as a graduate assistant trainer for the Crimson Tide from 1986-88. He also worked with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987 and the Cleveland Browns in 1985.

Marucci has mastered the art of crafting wooden baseball bats and founded his own company, the Marucci Bat Company. The bat company, which originally started with a workshop in his backyard, now has hundreds of Major Leaguers swinging its bats, including Albert Pujols, the 2006 NL MVP, World Series champion Anthony Rizzo and home run champion Ryan Howard.

Marucci’s bats, which now include a line of aluminum bats for both baseball and softball, are the fastest-growing bat in baseball. The Marucci Bat Company has also been represented in both the Major League All-Star Game and the World Series in recent years.