Courtney Vinson, who has served as an assistant athletic director at UCF the past four years, has been named the Associate Athletic Director for Sport Services and Senior Woman Administrator at the University of Memphis. UofM Athletic Director Tom Bowen made the announcement Monday. At Memphis, Vinson will oversee the operations of the Athletics Office of Compliance, including certification, scholarships and the scholarship book process. A member of the UCF Athletic Association’s senior staff, Vinson created, developed and implemented policies and procedures to ensure institutional rules which aligned with the NCAA and American Athletic Conference regulations. Vinson earned her master’s degree in athletic administration from Marshall University in 2006 where she was a compliance graduate assistant.
Athletics at Colorado State University had a $3.2 million deficit for fiscal year 2015 and are projected to have a $2.9 million deficit for 2016, campus president Tony Frank told the CSU System Board of Governors on Friday. Frank cautioned against looking too far ahead with too much certainty in making budget projections, but he also presented projections in which the program faces deficits of $2.6 million in 2017, $1.8 million in 2018 and $667,000 in 2019. Frank noted that membership in one of the power five football conferences would likely lead to more than $20 million annually from the television rights package alone, though expenses would also grow. – Rob White, Coloradoan, Read More
University of New Hampshire Director of Athletics Marty Scarano announced Monday that Jon Danos has been hired as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for External Affairs. The position oversees UNH athletics revenue generation, including ticket sales and third party multi-media rights sales, marketing and promotions, communications, television and radio contracts, licensing, merchandising and Wildcat Sport Properties. Danos, who graduated from UNH with a bachelor of science degree in Business Administration in 1990, returns to Durham following 25 years in minor league baseball, and the last 12 years with Opening Day Partners, LLC (ODP)and Maryland Baseball, LLC as partner, President and COO.
Shorter University is looking for an Associate Athletics Director for Compliance. The Associate Athletics Director for Compliance is responsible for the overall development, implementation, and oversight of the institution’s compliance program. Apply Here
Campus leaders at the University of Nebraska at Omaha say they made the move to NCAA Division I in athletics because the school was financially failing at Division II. So how has the change worked out financially so far? The World-Herald requested detailed budget data covering UNO’s last years at Division II and first three of its four-year transition to Division I. An analysis of those numbers and other data sources shows that while athletic finances appear more stable than in the past, Division I has brought its own financial challenges. – Henry J. Cordes, Omaha, Read More
William Nowadly has been hired as assistant director of Pirate Club communications at East Carolina University, according to an announcement by the department of athletics on Monday. Nowadly previously worked at Gannon University as assistant director of athletics media relations where he was the primary media contact and event manager for 11 teams. Nowadly was an athletic communications graduate assistant at Canisius College from 2011-13, where he was the primary media contact and statistician for seven teams, while handling secondary men’s basketball responsibilities. A 2007 graduate of Houghton College with a degree in communication and physical education, Nowadly earned a master’s degree in sport administration from Canisius in 2013.
The premium seating area on the east side of Bright House Networks Stadium has a title sponsor and a new name. UCF Athletics has announced a partnership with Carl Black of Orlando Monday, christening the space the Carl Black and Gold Cabana. Omar Rodriguez, Carl Black of Orlando general manager, was the driving force on the partnership. Carl Black of Orlando, an authorized dealer of Chevrolet, Buick and GMC brands, has been a major partner of UCF Athletics since 2006. Both Rodriguez and UCF officials mentioned the importance of that long-standing relationship. A limited number of Carl Black and Gold Cabana memberships are still available.
NAIA is looking for a Director of Championships who is positive, smart, fast paced, business professional who desires to be innovative and demands an array of job responsibilities. The Director of Championships organizes and supervises a staff of eight or more championship department members and oversees the managers of our 23 national championships and 4 emerging sports events. Apply Here
Ever since the Sun Belt Conference and the media got together back on July 20th, the speculation about the league adding a twelfth member has (once again) become a main topic of conversation. After the meetings, Commissioner Karl Benson told The Advertiser‘s Tim Buckley the league had had preliminary discussions with Coastal Carolina out of the Big South Conference and Eastern Kentucky of the Ohio Valley Conference. Last week, an eight-person group representing the Sun Belt visited CCU after visiting EKU previously. This week the committee will make a formal visit to New Mexico State in Las Cruces. CCU President David DeCenzo has publicly stated his school will accept a bid to join the league if an offer is extended. – Jay Walker, ESPN1420, Read More
Louisiana Tech University is seeking candidates for Director of Football Operations. Candidate must have advanced computer skills; good communication, organization and time management skills; and have experience in arranging team travel, preseason training camp, directing summer football camps and in compliance and scholarship documents. Candidate must serve as a liaison for fields and officials and have sound written and verbal communication skills, a commitment to athletic and academic success, and a knowledge and understanding of NCAA rules and bylaws. Email: Search Committee, Louisiana Tech University [email protected]
Penn State has announced the appointment of Cory Chapman as assistant athletic director and general manager of Beaver Stadium and Pegula Ice Arena. Chapman will work closely with Associate Athletic Director Mark Bodenschatz in overseeing all aspects of Beaver Stadium and Pegula Ice Arena. His primary duties will include programming, maintenance, budgets, customer service and managing staff for the two facilities. From LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Chapman comes to Penn State after serving the past six years in facility operations and event management at the University of Minnesota. He begins his duties at Penn State today. Chapman brings nearly 15 years of facility management and programming experience to Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Chapman graduated from Viterbo University with a degree in liberal studies and he earned a master’s degree in health and human studies from Fort Hays State University.
In partnership with Smart Tour Media, Creighton is pleased to unveil an athletic department wide facility virtual tour showcasing the department’s venues. Smart Tour Media, based out of Omaha offers smart tours that are mobile friendly providing dynamic and interactive 360° viewpoints, auto/manual navigation, among many other features. When viewed on a mobile device, the Creighton Smart Tour offers the user a first person point-of-view as they navigate the venues. The Creighton Smart Tour will continue to be developed into the fall as certain elements within are updated. At this time the tour features the Championship Center, The Ryan Athletic Center & D.J. Sokol Arena, The Rasmussen Fitness & Sports Center, Morrison Stadium, Kitty Gaughan Pavilion, The Golf Learning Facility at Omaha Country Club, TD Ameritrade Park Omaha & CenturyLink Center Omaha.
The University of Alabama Department of Intercollegiate Athletics is soliciting applications from qualified individuals for the position of Director of Outbound Ticket Sales. The Director of Outbound Ticket Sales (OTS) is responsible for the training and oversight of full-time, part-time and volunteer sales staff. Apply Here
With preseason practices already underway and the start of the fall season close at hand, staff changes continue within the University of Maine athletics department. Laura Reed, who served as the assistant athletic director for public relations, recently announced her departure. She had been a member of UMaine’s sports information staff for 15 years. Reed is the third athletics administrator to leave UMaine since the end of the 2014-2015 school year. – Pete Warner, BDN, Read More
As Virginia Tech’s football team opened preseason camp Friday on fields below, athletic director Whit Babcock spent more than an hour discussing the program’s direction, coach Frank Beamer’s future and how national issues affect the Hokies. The conversation is split into two parts, the second of which should post Tuesday morning and will include Babcock’s thoughts on upgrading Tech’s basketball arena and baseball and softball complexes, the prospects for an ACC channel in this era of unbundling, and an overview as he enters his second full academic year in Blacksburg. -David Teel, Daily Press, Read More
The north end zone of DKR Stadium had a little makeover during the off season to give it some local flair. New concession stands featuring favorites like Torchy’s Tacos, Pluckers, and Austin’s Pizza, will be available for fans to enjoy on game day. University of Texas at Austin Men’s Athletics Director Steve Patterson says the new food joints are expected to curb fans’ cravings for tailgating near the stadium. Patterson said the University is spending several million dollars renovating concession stands at its athletic facilities. Some of the new concession stands are still working on getting settled in at the stadium, but all of them should be up and running by the home opener against Rice on Sept. 12. -Alex Stockwell, Time Warner Cable News, Read More
Student athletes, especially the team’s starters, are more likely to suffer an injury while preparing for an upcoming test, University of Missouri researchers have discovered. Bryan Mann, an assistant professor of physical therapy in the MU School of Health Professions and assistant director of strength and conditioning for the university’s athletics department, and his colleagues reviewed weekly injury reports for more than 100 student athletes on a Division I college football team during a 20-week season, they explained in a statement. Of those athletes, 60 had 86 different injury restrictions during the season, and the study found players were 3.19 times more likely to have an injury restriction during the weeks with high academic stress, such as weeks with an exam or big project. – Chuck Bednar, Red Orbit, Read More
University leaders generally remain in the background when athletics are in the public eye. Unless things go really wrong, as was the case at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where ill-formulated intentions, lax oversight and thirst for athletic success created a noxious stew. The trouble centered on a mere $75 million piece of a nearly $4 billion budgetary puzzle, an athletic realm encompassing at most 800 undergrads out of 18,000, as Chancellor Carol Folt is quick to point out. Supported by system president Tom Ross and others, Folt within eight months of taking office commissioned Kenneth Wainstein, an attorney formerly with the FBI and Homeland Security, to investigate what had gone wrong. The findings released in October 2014 were damning and helped fuel a five-count NCAA Notice of Allegations (NOA) the university is poised to answer publicly later this month. -Barry Jacobs, The Charlotte Observer, Read More
During a recent conversation about a new ACC safety measure, Virginia’s associate athletic director for sports medicine plugged the university’s renowned hospital and medical school. Led by assistant professor of radiology Jason Druzgal, researchers recommend that the NCAA follow the lead of the NFL, which, in conjunction with the players’ union, limits teams to essentially one full-pad, full-contact practice per week. Presently, the NCAA merely advises member schools to limit such drills to twice a week. Data suggests that NFL-like restrictions “in college football would reduce the burden of head impact for thousands of athletes,” Druzgal and his colleagues write in a 10-page paper posted Tuesday on the Journal of Neurosurgery’s website. – David Teel, Daily Press, Read More
A search committee will meet Tuesday to discuss five finalists for the post of executive director of the Ragin’ Cajun Athletic Foundation (RCAF), the fundraising arm associated with the UL athletic department. Whoever gets the job will be charged primarily with fundraising for a Sun Belt Conference program that is in the midst of the silent phase preceding a capital campaign for its $115 million athletic facilities masterplan. UL’s athletic department, led by athletic director Scott Farmer, has been without a primary fundraiser since senior associate athletic director Ken Winstead left for Seattle University more than two years ago. – Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, Read More
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology announced Friday that SD Mines women’s volleyball head coach Tiffany McCampbell has been promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations. In addition to heading up internal operations for Hardrocker athletics, McCampbell will become the Title IX Coordinator and the Athletic Student Success Coordinator. She will also retain her duties as the Senior Woman Administrator. McCampbell, a 1998 graduate from Taylor University (Ind.), took over as the Lady Hardrocker head coach from 2009-2014 and amassed a 79-89 overall won-loss. – Rod Fisher, DRG News, Read More
Vanderbilt’s official Twitter account (@VandyFootball) tweeted a graphic including a quote from head coach Derek Mason that said, “We don’t need your permission.” Vanderbilt had no plans to use those five words with any ongoing marketing campaign for its football program or any university athletic program. However, many who read it thought it was quite tasteless, a painful reminder (albeit unintentional) and link to the ongoing rape trials involving four former football players. After the Tweet received negative response and it went viral, Vanderbilt removed the Tweet from its @VandyFootball account. That same account then tweeted an apology. Soon after,director of athletics David Williams issued an apology, stating the university regretted sending the tweet and failed to consider all of its implications. Williams said that Vanderbilt will review its social media policy.-David Ammenheuser, The Tennessean, Read More
Morehouse College’s Atheltic Department faces a three-year probation and $5,000 fine for three major violations of NCAA bylaws occurring from 2009 to 2015. In July, the NCAA released the public infraction decision as part of its agreement with Morehouse College. From academic years 2009-2010 to 2014-2015, the athletic department attested to playing 29 ineligible student-athletes; failing to “properly certify student-athletes’ eligibility in two areas (1) continuing eligibility (progress-toward-degree requirements); and (2) good academic standing”; and improperly signing financial aid awards. This decision involves the football, cross-country, basketball, golf and baseball programs. -Timothy Tukes, Huff Post College, Read More
Alma College begun construction on an addition to Hogan Center. Workers are removing the crumbling staircase leading into the Cappaert Gymnasium on the east side of Hogan. With the removal of the old maintenance buildings along Wright Avenue, this side of the building has effectively become a new front for the campus. Not only it is given a much-needed facelift, a glass structure is being built to house a new Wrestling practice center and locker room, a space for its Cheer program, a weight/conditioning room for all student-athletes, and coaches’ offices. The Hogan addition is funded entirely by donors who were passionate about making this project happen.
The ticketed seating capacity of Michigan Stadium has been slightly reduced, but the Big House remains the largest stadium in college football. By increasing stadium accessibility and adjustments for major non-football events, there has been a decrease of just more than 2,000 seats. The new official capacity is 107,601. The most significant seating changes allow for ADA accessibility. Seats had to be eliminated to widen aisles and install hand railings around the entire bowl with the exception of the student seating section. – The Detroit News, Read More
Securing Florida State’s athletics future – from raising monies for scholarships, facilities and operating budgets – is a daily process for Seminole Boosters, Inc. The well-being of the student-athlete is paramount for FSU’s athletics department and Seminole Boosters and depends on the organizations financial success, which is a collaborative effort with the focus on strategic planning, communication and winning. Seminole Boosters, Inc. is in the middle of a $250 million Champions Campaign, which part of the University’s $1 Billion Raise the Torch: The Campaign for FSU. -Jim Henry, Tallahassee Democrat, Read More
Oregon State has appointed Kimya Massey as senior associate athletic director for student-athlete development, Vice President and Director of Athletics Todd Stansbury announced Thursday in a news release. Massey will lead OSU’s student-athlete development team. Massey had been the University of Central Florida Knights’ senior associate athletic director for academic services for student-athletes since 2011. A four-year letterman pitcher with the Spartans baseball team, Massey earned degrees in anthropology and sociology (2000), as well as a master’s in kinesiology with an emphasis on sports administration (2004), from Michigan State. – Connor Letourneau, Oregon Live, Read More
According to a report by Sports Illustrated, University of Illinois chancellor Phyllis Wise resigned from her position Thursday. Wise released a statement saying that “external issues” had disrupted the university’s operations over the past 12 months. She wrote, “I have concluded that these issues are diverting much needed energy and attention from our goals. Allegations of discrimination and abuse within the Fighting Illini women’s basketball and men’s football programs are among those external issues. – Scott Polacek, Bleacher Report, Read More
After an extensive search, Alma College has finally decided on its new Sports Information Director, naming Alma resident Paul Thomas to the position last week. He will be responsible for the promotion for all of Alma College’s 25 NCAA Division III athletic programs. Thomas, who graduated from Northern Michigan University with a degree in public relations and journalism, spent over seven years working as a sports communications specialist prior to moving to Alma in 2013 where he has served as pastor for the Breckenridge United Methodist Church ever since. – Paul Kenneth Beroza, Morning Sun, Read More
Oklahoma State athletic director Mike Holder and baseball coach Josh Holliday discussed the ongoing efforts to build a new baseball facility in Stillwater on Thursday at the Tulsa Cowboy Caravan. Although Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, opened in 1981, packs plenty of nostalgia, both recognized the need for an update. The new stadium is planned to be built on the corner of W. McElroy Road. and N. Washington Street. The athletic department remains in the process of fundraising for the facility. – Kyle Fredrickson, The Oklahoman, Read More
A Briefing Of The Day's College Athletics News
To Your Inbox Tonight.