Promoted to Associate A.D. for Communications in July of 2023, Matt Ensor has held a variety of positions since taking over the communications unit of Arizona Athletics in 2018. Ensor previously served as the Director of Communication Services (2018-2021) and Assistant A.D. for Communications (2021-2023). In his current role, Ensor oversees the day-to-day operations of the Communication Services office, including supervision of five full-time communication staffers and two full-time sports photography employees as well as a team of undergraduate student interns. He also works with Arizona’s football and men’s basketball programs while serving as the primary communications contact for Arizona Men’s and Women’s Golf. Ensor’s primary duties include the communications needs of the athletics department, the athletics director, developing key reporting for the athletics department in addition to working as a crisis communications liaison with campus partners.
Described as "the Dennis McNally of sports information directors" by ESPN Analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Bill Walton as a nod to the Grateful Dead's longtime publicist, Ensor has spearheaded a number of projects with Walton for campus collaborations. These include working with the UArizona College of Fine Arts to turn Walton's dedicated chair in McKale Center into a graduate-level art project.
The Oregon native has also has served on a variety of regional and national organizations, including Arizona Athletics' Transition Team for its move to the Big 12 Conference. He also assisted with COVID-19 re-entry and media operations working groups for Arizona Athletics, the Pac-12 Conference and CoSIDA/USBWA. His service also includes an appointment to CoSIDA’s Division I Cabinet to increase advocacy, grow constituency and amplify promotion of the sports information profession.
He joined the Wildcats in September of 2015 and served as the primary communications contact for head coach Sean Miller and the Arizona Men’s Basketball program for three seasons before being promoted to the head of the office. During that time, Ensor handled all media coverage and requests for the program while also overseeing all of the team’s social media content. He also coordinated all game broadcasts, on behalf of the team, with national television partners, including ESPN, Fox, CBS, Turner and the Pac-12 Networks. Ensor promoted numerous All-Americans and high-profile athletes at Arizona, including No. 7 overall pick Lauri Markkanen and No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. The Wildcats won the regular season Pac-12 title and the Pac-12 Tournament in the same season in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Ensor came to Tucson after three years at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque where he spent two seasons as Assistant Director of Communications before being promoted to Associate Director. He worked with a variety of sports while at UNM, including men’s basketball, football, women’s basketball, men’s soccer and women’s soccer. During his time with head coach Craig Neal and the Lobo Basketball program, he managed the wave of national media attention surrounding Lobo point guard Hugh Greenwood’s “Pink Pack” charity that raised over $52,000 for the UNM Cancer Center during his senior season.
His other projects include being the lead on the athletic department's website redesign and GoLobos.com's transition to SIDEARM and helping coordinate the ESPN “E:60” segment on men’s soccer alum Pat Grange. He was also the media relations coordinator for the MLS's Colorado Rapids' exhibition hosted by UNM and for the George Strait and Martina McBride concert held in The Pit.
Ensor joined UNM after spending the previous year as the Assistant Sports Information Director at Division II Georgia Southwestern. There he was the primary media contact for the Hurricanes' men's soccer, women's basketball and softball teams. He also assisted with GSW's seven other athletic programs.
His entrance into the athletic communications field was as a graduate assistant at Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2010-11 academic year. His time in Richmond was highlighted by his involvement with Coach Shaka Smart and the VCU Rams' magical run to the Final Four of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. As the secondary media contact for the tournament, Ensor assisted with the media needs of the team while traveling with the program to Dayton, Chicago, San Antonio and Houston. Ensor also assisted with VCU's women's basketball, volleyball, field hockey and both soccer teams.
A native of Eugene, Oregon, Ensor graduated from the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon in 2009. He earned his master's degree from the Center for Sport Leadership at VCU in 2011. He currently serves on the Alumni Advisory Board of the CSL at VCU that focuses on growing exposure for the program, expanding the alumni network and fundraising for scholarships.
