Marshall University Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Student-Athlete Well-Being & Success/Sport AD (WBB, T&F/XC, S&D, TEN)
- Email:
Beatrice Crane Banford was named as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Well-Being and Success by VP/Director of Athletics Gerald J. Harrison in August 2025. She also serves as a sport administrator for Women's Basketball, Swim & Dive, Tennis and Track & Field/Cross Country.
Crane Banford, who joined Marshall Athletics in September 1997, serves on Marshall Athletics’ Executive Team and Senior Staff with an emphasis on oversight of sports performance, nutrition and student-athlete development by serving as a liaison to academics, enrollment management, the H.E.L.P. program, Marshall Health and mental health services.
Crane Banford also serves as the primary contact for the Department of Athletics in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and is the Athletics liaison with the University’s Title IX office, which includes implementing, coordinating and monitoring mandated Title IX education initiatives for student-athletes and Athletics staff.
The Cortland, N.Y., native also administers oversight of Athletic Training, Academic Advising and Student-Athlete Development staffs while also leading the supervision of student-athlete community service, life skills programming and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
In addition to serving as Sport Administrator for many Marshall Athletics programs, Crane Banford also serves on the Marshall Athletics Hall of Fame Selection Committee and coordinates all aspects of Hall of Fame Induction Weekend.
Crane Banford has been a major part of Marshall Athletics’ success for the last three decades, helping Marshall in its return to the FBS level upon her arrival in 1997 while also facilitating successful transitions from the Mid-American Conference to Conference USA in 2005 and from Conference USA to the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. She also recently helped Marshall Swim & Dive in its transition to an affiliate membership with the American Athletic Conference for 2025-26.
During her tenure with the Herd, Crane Banford has overseen all Olympic Sport programs, Marshall Athletics’ Sports Performance, which includes all physical and mental aspects of the student-athlete, student-athlete academic support services, compliance at the university, conference and NCAA levels, COVID-19 pandemic response and procedures and also Marshall Spirit programs, which includes Cheer, Dance and Mascot.
Crane Banford is also responsible for the creation and implementation of one of Marshall Athletics’ signature events – the Sweetheart Clinic. This event is a free, one-day skills development clinic for girls ages 4-12 that provides annual instruction in all facets and mediums of women’s athletics. The event annually draws a capacity of patrons with 350 girls each year.
Here is a listing of some other initiatives and committees that Crane Banford has been a part of:
-         Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Strategic Committee, 2022
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Be HERD Mental Wellness and Performance, 2022
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Herd Performance Nutrition, 2022
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Marshall Athletics COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator, 2020-present
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Certification from Johns Hopkins University in COVID-19 Contact Tracing, 2021
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Mental Health First Aid Certified Instructor, 2019-present
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NCAA Legislative Review & Interpretations Committee, 2009-13
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NCAA Volleyball Committee, 2010-12
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NCAA Committee on Athletics Certification, 2006-10
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Conference USA Strategic Planning Committee, 2007-08
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â NCAA Certification Peer Review Team, 2001-06
-         Championship Director (2000 MAC Tennis Championship, 2002 MAC Men’s Soccer Championship, 2007 C-USA Volleyball Championship)
-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Director, National Youth Sports Program, 2004
Crane Banford came to Marshall from the University of Louisville where she had served as Senior Women's Administrator and Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance. At Louisville she oversaw the eligibility certification for all 19 varsity sports and more than 400 student-athletes.
Prior to her work at Louisville, she spent three years at North Carolina State as the Coordinator for Compliance and Athletic Programs. She also worked previously as Operations Assistant at the PGA Championship and on the T.C. Jordan Golf Tour.
Crane Banford graduated from N.C. State in 1992 with a degree in political science and English. She earned her master's degree in sport and facility management from Ohio in 1993.
