As a senior in high school, Ryan Alpert had to write a thesis ahead of graduation. He chose to focus on NASCAR, a sport his father acknowledges he never knew much about.
“It really got him interested in what are sports all about and the management and the things that I’m not sure I understand very well,” said Geoffrey Alpert, professor of criminology and criminal justice at the University of South Carolina.
Ryan Alpert’s mind thus had begun to shift its focus to the inner workings of sports outside the arena of battle long before he was hired to be the athletic director at Georgia Tech. He had been a football (winning a state championship in 2004) and soccer (all-state) player at Heathwood Hall in Columbia, South Carolina, and maybe even had a chance to play the latter collegiately before deciding to study sport and entertainment management at South Carolina in his hometown.
Born in Miami, Alpert spent his childhood in South Carolina’s capital. His upbringing was in an environment where academics took precedence.
“I just think he was brought up to ask questions, he was brought up to think critically. We made him ask questions about everything,” Geoffrey Alpert said, also noting his own father, Harry Alpert, was a provost at the University of Oregon. “He was fascinated by athletics and was always brought up to ask about things and learn.”
After graduating from South Carolina, Ryan began his professional career with a brief stop at Miami before returning to USC. He then went on to the Memphis athletic department, where he also earned a master’s degree with a concentration in leadership studies.
In between two separate stints at Missouri, Ryan spent a couple of years at Florida Atlantic. In 2016, he married Rebecca Lybrand, and the couple now has two daughters, Mary Margaret and Annie.
Rebecca, Mary Margaret and Annie are expected to be at Ryan’s side when he is formally introduced as Tech’s new AD on Wednesday. Geoffrey, who once worked for the Georgia Department of Corrections in Atlanta, said he and numerous other members of Ryan’s extended family are expected to attend as well.
The father said he knows his son will be passionate about being the best he can be as Tech’s new AD.
“Once he sinks his teeth into something, it’s hard to get him to let go,” Geoffrey said.
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