Patrick Britz

Bio

Patrick Britz is currently in his 18th year as the Commissioner of the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) after being named the league’s second commissioner in May 2008.

In July 2022, Britz negotiated a seven-figure, five-year media rights deal with FloSports, which made the SAC the first Division II conference to sign a multisport league-wide agreement with FloSports. In April 2025, Britz again negotiated an increase to the rights fees and extension to the agreement through 2032.

Under Britz’s leadership, the SAC expanded to its largest membership ever with 13 member institutions as Anderson University became a full-time member in 2010-11, and Coker College and Queens University of Charlotte in 2013-14. The University of Virginia's College at Wise joined the league as a full member in July 2019 and Limestone University joined in July 2020. In July 2022, Emory & Henry College entered as a full member of the league. The SAC also expanded from 14 championship sports to 18 in 2013-14 as men’s and women’s lacrosse and men’s and women’s outdoor track and field were added. This number increased to 20 in 2017-18 when the league added men’s and women’s indoor track and field as championship sports. Starting in 2018-19, the SAC began sponsoring women's field hockey and beginning in 2022-23, men's and women's swimming were added as conference championship sports. In 2024-25, the SAC partnered with Conference Carolinas to co-sponsor women’s beach volleyball as a championship sport. Britz has also overseen the revision of the conference bylaws and sports policies, as well as the development of three strategic plans and a complete overhaul of the league's governance structure that started in July 2020.

Britz has led historic achievements in the overall success of SAC athletics in NCAA Championship participation. Wingate claimed the SAC’s first ever NCAA national championship in men’s soccer in the fall of 2016 and Wingate baseball captured the conference's second national title in the spring of 2021. Lenoir-Rhyne was crowned national champions in men’s lacrosse in the spring of 2023 and Wingate men’s cross country won the national title in the fall of 2023. Further, in the past 12 years, SAC teams from eight different sports and six different schools have also been finalists or runner-up in NCAA Championships – Lenoir-Rhyne football and Carson-Newman men’s soccer in 2013, Catawba baseball in 2015, Lincoln Memorial men’s basketball in 2016, Carson-Newman women’s soccer in 2017, Lincoln Memorial men's golf in 2019, Limestone women's golf, Queens women's lacrosse and Lenoir-Rhyne men's lacrosse in 2021, Limestone women's golf and Queens women’s lacrosse in 2022 and Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse and Wingate men’s cross country in 2024. Finally, SAC schools have won 62 NCAA regional titles in eleven sports since 2008-09.

During Britz’s tenure, the league has started a formal compliance review process where an external entity visits each member institution and conducts an in-depth review. The first round of visits was completed in 2011-12 and the next round began in 2015-16. The third round started in 2023-24 and will conclude in 2026-27. He also developed and implemented a new coaches’ orientation program that started in the fall of 2014.

He has also overseen the enhancement of the conference’s awards program and championship events, providing live video-streaming for most of the finals of the team championships starting in 2010-11. The league also began awarding an Elite 20 award (Elite 23 starting in 2022-23) in 2016-17 at each championship to the participating student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA similar to the NCAA’s Elite 90 award. He also secured a title sponsor – Pilot Flying J - for the conference baseball championship for 2016 through 2022, and for the basketball championship for 2019 through 2022. 

In addition to Pilot Flying J, Britz has brokered numerous corporate sponsorship agreements including GEICO, Signature Rings, AstroTurf, FieldTurf, BSN Sports, Hometown Ticketing, Wealth Enhancement Group, Varsity Gems, Floor Action, Hasty Awards and WePlayed Sports. Further, he has maintained long-standing agreements with corporate partners such as Buffkin/Baker and McMillan Pazdan Smith. Further, in 2018-19, Britz secured title sponsors - McGriff Insurance and Bob McCloskey Insurance, to award four postgraduate scholarships to SAC student-athletes.

Britz negotiated an agreement with Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University to host the semifinals and finals of the SAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Conference Tournament through 2023. The contract extension guaranteed the continuation of the conference tournament at the same neutral site since 2013. The 2024 and 2025 basketball championships were held at the Rock Hill (S.C.) Sports and Event Center and consisted of eight men’s and eight women’s teams over a four-day period. The Rock Hill Sports and Event Center has also hosted the Women’s Volleyball Championship since 2021. Britz negotiated to have the SAC Baseball Championship take place at Smokies Stadium in Kodak, Tenn., the home of the AA affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs for 2016 through 2023. The 2024 and 2025 baseball championships were conducted at McCrary Park, home of the Asheboro (N.C.) Zookeepers. In addition, after a 12-year stint at Manchester Meadows in Rock Hill, S.C., the semifinals and finals of the SAC Men’s and Women’s Soccer Championship moved to Matthews (N.C.) Sportsplex, the site for the 2023 and 2024 NCAA Division II national championship, starting in 2019. Finally, the Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse Championships were held at the Matthews Sportsplex in 2023 – 2025.

Prior to joining the SAC, Britz served as the first Director of Division I Intercollegiate Programs for the United Soccer Coaches (USC) from 2005-2008. During his tenure with the USC, Britz was responsible for raising the visibility of men’s and women’s Division I soccer. He played a vital role in the establishment and expansion of the Fox Soccer Channel College Match of the Week, including selling corporate sponsorships. He served as the liaison between the USC and various constituent groups, including the NCAA, Division I men’s and women’s coaches and the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association.

Britz has extensive experience in collegiate administration. He served as the senior associate director of athletics for compliance and administration at Texas Tech University from 2001-2005 and worked for five years in the NCAA national office (1996-2001). He was the assistant director of athletics for compliance and student services at East Tennessee State University for two years (1995-1996) and began his career as assistant commissioner for championships and compliance for the Southern Conference in 1991.

Britz has been highly involved within the NCAA committee structure. From 2009-2013, he served on the Division II Women’s Soccer Committee and was the Division II representative on the NCAA Woman of the Year Selection Committee from 2010-2012. In addition, he was the lone Division II representative on the CCA/NLI Football Recruiting Working Group to evaluate the possibility of an early signing period in the sport of football. While at Texas Tech, Britz served on the Division I Initial-Eligibility Waiver Committee and on the NCAA Athletics Certification Peer Review Committee. 

Britz completed a six-year term on the NCAA Division II Championships Committee and a four-year term on the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel at the end of the 2018-19 academic year. In 2017-18, he served as the President for the Division II Collegiate Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) and he currently is the chair of two D2 CCA Committees - National Letter of Intent Review Committee and Awards Committee. Further, he is currently serving a four-year a term on the NCAA Division II Management Council and concluded a term as the chair of Men’s and Women’s Soccer Rules Committee in 2023.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance from the University of North Carolina Asheville and an MBA in Sports Business from Saint Leo University. While at UNC Asheville, Britz was a four-time academic all-conference selection for the Bulldogs soccer team and graduated as the school’s second all-time leading scorer. Britz was inducted into the UNC Asheville Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2007 and was inducted into the Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School (Winston-Salem, N.C.) Hall of Fame in October 2011. In addition, he is the co-author of the book Athletic Scholarships for Dummies, published in December 2005.

Britz resides in Fort Mill, S.C. and has two daughters, Emersyn (13) and Delaney (12) and one son, Zach (9).