Less than five years after arriving at York College, Harris Rappel was elevated to associate director of athletics in February 2024.
Following a national search, former York College director of athletics & recreation Deneé Barracato appointed Rappel as assistant director of athletics for external relations/sports information director, effective April 8, 2019.
“I am extremely excited to welcome Harris, his wife Aliza and daughter Ava to the York Cardinals family," said York College director of athletics & recreation, Deneé Barracato. "He clearly has an outstanding administrative, compliance and sports information background, and I'm confident he will help lead our department towards success.”
“I believe Harris will have an immediate impact not only administratively, but externally through the engagement of our campus community through our social media platforms and website. I admire his enthusiasm for this new venture and truly believe we are fortunate to have him assisting in leading our team.”
Rappel oversees York’s communications and scheduling efforts for the College’s 17 intercollegiate sports, while serving as a member of the senior leadership team. He provides leadership as a sport administrator for several sports.
“I am grateful to join the York College family and would like to thank director of athletics and recreation Deneé Barracato, along with associate director of athletics Carl Christian and the rest of the search committee for the wonderful opportunity to share and amplify the accomplishments of all things York athletics,” said Rappel. “It is a great time to be a Cardinal, and I am excited to serve our student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni and fans along with the entire York community.”
Residing in Long Beach, New York, Rappel joins the Cardinals after spending nearly 13 years at SUNY Old Westbury building a career in higher education across the areas of sports information, compliance and scheduling. Rappel has served at Old Westbury since 2006, when he assumed the position of the Panthers' compliance officer and sports information director. In 2010, Rappel was elevated to assistant director of athletics for compliance and sports information, and in 2012, Rappel added the role of scheduling coordinator to go with his sports information responsibilities.
Rappel was responsible for all facets of the publicity and promotion of the Panthers' 13-sport, NCAA Division III athletics program. In 2009, he also played an integral role by forming a partnership with SIDEARM Sports to provide the technology platform that powers www.oldwestburypanthers.com. Rappel orchestrated a three-year agreement with SIDEARM Sports in 2018 to provide live video streaming and on-demand services for all home games and events.
Always looking for ways to increase and create value, Rappel was instrumental in spearheading the growth of Old Westbury’s social media presence to over 3,000 combined followers by working to implement new and innovative ways to reach the campus community and beyond. Throughout the years, Rappel has garnered coverage for coaches, student-athletes and staff members in local publications, as well as expanding the College’s reach with features by ESPN SportsCenter and Sports Illustrated.
Through his internship program, he has helped start the careers of several former interns who currently hold positions in college athletics at all levels of the NCAA.
Since 2011, Rappel has promoted six All-America student-athletes as well as numerous CoSIDA Academic All-District selections. Rappel also successfully promoted two Major League Baseball (MLB) draft picks in addition to a handful of former basketball players who advanced their professional careers overseas.
Rappel, a member of College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) since 2006, has attended seven CoSIDA conventions. He is also a member of National Association Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA) since 2007. Rappel has attended three NCAA Regional Rules Seminars, and in 2018, participated in the seventh annual Business of Small College Athletics (BOSCA) workshop.
Prior to his tenure at Old Westbury, Rappel served as director of business development and sports information director for the National Pro-Am City Leagues Association from 2005-06. In 2004, Rappel was named assistant vice president of basketball operations for the Brooklyn Kings of the United States Basketball League (USBL), a position he held until being promoted to vice president of basketball operations in 2005. During his time as VP of basketball operations, Rappel played a pivotal role in the development of the organization, where he oversaw the Kings' player personnel, media relations, community relations, compliance, marketing, special events, operations and broadcasting efforts.
Rappel's background also includes roles with the Hartford FoxForce of World Team Tennis (WTT), Harlem Strong Dogs of the American Basketball Association (ABA) and coaching positions at Five-Star Basketball Camps.
Away from college athletics, Rappel has served as a game day statistician for the Brooklyn Nets’ G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, since 2017. In June of 2013, Rappel aided the social media efforts as a member of the USGA Social Media team at the U.S. Women's Open at Sebonack Golf Club in Southampton, New York. Rappel also served as a committee member for the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame from 2012-17.
Raised in Lido Beach, New York, Rappel received a bachelor's degree in entrepreneurial studies and business management from the University of Hartford in 2004, and in 2005, he received a post graduate degree in paralegal studies from Nassau Community College. In 2021, Rappel graduated from SUNY Cortland with a master's degree in sports management.
