Leanne Grotke to Retire After 13 Years at Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton Associate Athletic Director Leanne Grotke, who has been involved in college athletics for 26 years, announced Monday that she will retire Sept. 1 after 13 years with the Titans.

Grotke, 50, will become the second administrator in the Fullerton athletic department to leave this year, following former Athletic Director Ed Carroll, who resigned in February to take a job at UC Irvine.

Grotke said, however, that the fact a new athletic director would be coming aboard this summer had nothing to do with her decision.

“I just decided that in intercollegiate athletics, the days are too long and life is too short,” she said. “That’s the only reason. I’ve been in it for 26 years and have put in a lot of time, but I want to have time to enjoy myself and not work. I’ve been thinking about this for a while.”

Grotke is engaged to Andy Andreas, who has been an assistant basketball coach at several Southern California community colleges and most recently worked at Fullerton High School.

After the couple are married this summer, Grotke said they plan to move to Sandestin, Fla., a resort community on the Gulf of Mexico, located about 60 miles east of Pensacola.

“We’re going to build a house on a lake,” Grotke said. “I’ve always wanted to live on the water.”

Grotke, who attended Bowling Green University (bachelor’s degree) and Indiana (master’s), spent 13 years (1965-78) with the Indiana athletic department, including the last four as associate director of athletics.

She was hired as director of athletics for women at Fullerton in 1978 and, after the department was reorganized, was named associate athletic director in 1980.

Her main responsibility at Fullerton has been to oversee and guide the women’s programs, but Grotke has also overseen the academic counseling, sports medicine and financial aid programs and has been in charge of athletic department personnel.

Grotke, who has been Fullerton’s liaison with the NCAA and the Big West Conference on compliance matters, has been active on the national level.

She once was commissioner of national championships for the Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women and served five years on the NCAA Executive Board.

“I’ve got a million wonderful memories and friends and professional acquaintances who I’ll miss a lot, but I won’t miss the long hours,” Grotke said.

Grotke said the new athletic director will hire her replacement.