Michael Mudd was named the Director of Athletics at Worcester State University in April of 2014. Mudd is responsible for organizing, planning, and directing the school’s 20 intercollegiate varsity sports teams as well as its recreational and wellness programs.

Since the beginning of his time at the helm, the athletic department has grown in all areas, including the opening of a $52 million Wellness and Recreation Center and providing a new home to the Worcester State Ice Hockey teams at the Worcester Ice Center. In addition, the number of teams that have added full-time head coaching positions has grown from three teams to 11 teams.  In the summer of 2019, John F. Coughlin Memorial Field underwent a $2.5 million renovation. In addition, Worcester State has experienced great success in the classroom and in competition. During his tenure, almost half of all Worcester State student-athletes have been named to the MASCAC All-Academic Team (earning a GPA of 3.2 or greater). Several teams and individual student-athletes have participated or won MASCAC championships and/or competed in NCAA championship events, including winning two individual national championships.

Mudd currently serves, or has served on, the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Rules Committee, the NCAA Baseball Division III Northeastern Region Advisory Committee, the MASCAC Strategic Planning and Awards Committees and the Worcester State Athletics Hall of Fame Committee.

Prior to coming to Worcester State University, Mudd spent 18 years as an executive in professional hockey, including 12 years with the San Jose Sharks where he was the President of their AHL franchise, the Worcester Sharks that they owned and operated in Worcester, Massachusetts.  Mudd was responsible for overseeing the business operations of the franchise, managing the sponsorship, ticket, marketing, community relations, public relations, merchandise, broadcasting, and hockey administration departments. While with the Sharks, Mudd developed and produced the Worcester bid to the AHL Board of Governors to secure the 2009 AHL All Star Classic for the city of Worcester and served as the project manager for the event. For his contributions as the President of the Worcester Sharks, Mudd was named the recipient of the James C. Hendy Memorial Award following the 2010-11 season which is emblematic of the AHL’s outstanding executive.

Prior to his executive experience in professional ice hockey, Mudd was an assistant hockey coach at Miami University (OH) under NCAA coaching legend George Gwozdecky where he helped guide the school to their first ever CCHA regular season championship and NCAA Tournament bid in 1993.

Mudd played professional hockey for two seasons, splitting time between the IHL and ECHL as a goaltender in the St. Louis Blues organization.

As a collegian, Mudd was a four-year member of the St. Lawrence University ice hockey team which won ECAC Division I Championships in 1988 and 1989 and earned three consecutive berths into the NCAA Division I Tournament. His 1988 club ended the season falling in the Division I Championship title game. In his senior season, he was among the NCAA statistical leaders in several goaltending categories and he received the teams “Coaches” Award. In addition, he was a four-year starter on the baseball team at St. Lawrence, earning all-conference honors as a center fielder.

A native of Amherst, N.Y., Mudd earned his Bachelor’s Degree in economics from St. Lawrence University and his Master’s Degree in sports management from Miami University. Mudd has been an active participant with several local Central Massachusetts organizations and has served on the advisory boards of the March of Dimes, the Devereux Center, the Worcester Regional Research Bureau, the Worcester Bravehearts and the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, where he served on the Executive Committee.

Mudd and his wife Holly have three children.  Their oldest son, Tyler, is a baseball student-athlete at Boston College.  Their daughter Ashley is lacrosse student-athlete at St. Lawrence University.  Connor, their youngest son, is an ice hockey and baseball student-athlete at Deerfield Academy.