San Jose, Calif. - San José State University President Mohammad Qayoumi has appointed Gene Bleymaier as San Jose State University's new athletics director, effective June 30, 2012.

"I am thrilled Gene Bleymaier has agreed to bring his tremendous leadership skills and record of success to San José State, especially at a time when our football team is showing such strong potential," President Qayoumi said. "We are also fortunate he will arrive at SJSU as we move to the Mountain West from the Western Athletic Conference, a transition he navigated with great success at Boise State."

As Boise State's athletics director for nearly three decades, Bleymaier is widely credited with transforming the Broncos football team into a national phenomenon, with a top-10 ranking in the past three seasons. His staff built or expanded nearly every athletics facility on campus, and he added four women's sports without dropping any men's sports, noted the Idaho Statesman newspaper.

"I see the same great potential in San José State that I saw in Boise State when I first arrived there," Bleymaier said. "I am pleased to accept President Qayoumi's offer, and to have the opportunity to take the reins at Spartan Athletics at such an exciting time. My wife Danell and I are looking forward to joining our four children, all of whom now reside in the Bay Area."

After graduating from Borah High School in Boise, Bleymaier went on to earn a bachelor's degree in sociology from UCLA in 1975, where he played football for legendary coaching great and SJSU alumnus Dick Vermeil.  Bleymaier earned a law degree from Loyola Law School in 1978, and served as a UCLA assistant athletics director before returning to Idaho. He joined the Boise State athletics department as an assistant athletics director in 1981, and was promoted to athletics director in 1982.

Bleymaier has been recognized nationally for his leadership. He received the prestigious Bobby Dodd Athletic Director of the Year Award in 2011. He was one of five nominees for the Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily Athletic Director of the Year for 2010, and the only nominee from a non-automatic qualifying Bowl Championship Series school.