Cardinal Stritch announces Matthew Culkar as athletic director

Matthew Culkar has been named athletic director at Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School & Academy, effective. Aug. 1.
Retiring Athletic Director Denny Shoemaker says he’s confident that Culkar will continue building athletics at Cardinal Stritch.
“Throughout the interview process, I believed in (president and head of school) Mr. Berry’s vision for our current and future Cardinals,” AD Culkar explained. “The goal of Stritch athletics will be providing more athletic opportunities to our students while preparing them for adulthood.”
Culkar says he forward to working closely with assistant athletic director, Kelly Alonzo and Stritch coaches, and to getting to know the students and families that make the school close-knit community.
Culkar is a Certified Athletic Administrator through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association. Before joining Cardinal Stritch, he was the athletic director at Gesu Catholic School & Parish in University Heights, Ohio. In addition to directing Gesu’s athletic department, he assisted Cleveland Heights High School’s athletic department and their 28 varsity sports. This past year, Cleveland Heights had its most successful football season in school history. Additionally, the boys track and field team captured the first DI indoor state championship in school history.
Culkar also brings more than a decade of coaching experience to Cardinal Stritch. While he has coached numerous sports, he primarily has coached basketball. His athletic administration experience also includes managing all game, facility and transportation operations the athletic department at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio. Additionally, he oversaw all athletic fundraisers and sponsorships. During his one year at NDC, the football program finished the season as the #4 team in all of NCAA DII.
Culkar attended Kent State University where he graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration with a minor in business and earned a master’s degree in Sport and Recreation Management.
While earning his master’s, he was a graduate assistant coach for the men’s basketball program. During his three seasons with the Golden Flashes (2014-17) the program won two MAC championships. The latter of those championships granted the program an automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA tournament.
As an athlete himself, he played four years of football and basketball, lettering in both, and was a part of the track and field team during his junior year at Padua Franciscan High School. He also played competitive travel baseball during his high school years.