How to become a college athletic director?

[Anonymous]

To answer one of OP's questions, it is probably better to play on a D3 team than play club at a D1 university. For one thing, once you are recruited for the D3 team, you are certain to have a spot, vs. needing to try out for a club team. My alma mater, a D3 liberal arts school, seems to play a lot of former athletes into real sports jobs, but they were all former athletes. My kid attends there now and plays a sport. Even though he doesn't want to go into sports management, there is a networking aspect of being on a team which helps with even normal jobs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To answer one of OP's questions, it is probably better to play on a D3 team than play club at a D1 university. For one thing, once you are recruited for the D3 team, you are certain to have a spot, vs. needing to try out for a club team. My alma mater, a D3 liberal arts school, seems to play a lot of former athletes into real sports jobs, but they were all former athletes. My kid attends there now and plays a sport. Even though he doesn't want to go into sports management, there is a networking aspect of being on a team which helps with even normal jobs.

Amherst baseball mafia.

Nescac baseball opens so many doors in the league.

[Anonymous]

Have a sports background, go to Law or MBA school. Be willing to work for peanuts unless or until you make it to a big time school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a physician and trying to work his way into Athletic Director. It's tough.

Well yeah, those don't overlap. Why aren't they looking to be a medical director?

[Anonymous]

Google some athletic directors and read their bios. Email some and ask for informational interviews.

+1, particularly the women as it's a tough road

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Google some athletic directors and read their bios. Email some and ask for informational interviews.

+1. Do informational interviews with these people. Most would love to talk to her if she reached out to them. Do big schools and little schools. I know Marymount has a program. My DD's former volleyball coach did a graduate degree from there for that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have a sports background, go to Law or MBA school. Be willing to work for peanuts unless or until you make it to a big time school.

^^^ the job of an AD is mostly marketing and compliance (business and law). People generally work their way up from smaller colleges, or from jobs as an assistant to an assistant AD. It’s a lot like the movie business or politics & policy — there are a lot more people who want the jobs than there are positions, so you’ve got to be willing to take whatever low-paying job will get your foot in the door, no matter what your educational credentials are.

[Anonymous]

idk why everyone is recommending current ADs. how would a cronyism 60 y/o boomer who's likely bff with the majority of board members and/or top university boosters be able to give your 20 y/o kid "advice"? don't be so naive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My junior has locked in on this being a great job for herself someday. I can see it - she loves sports, loves coaching, loves helping people, has an extroverted and outgoing personality.

I have no idea how to get from A to B though. I assume going to a university with a robust athletics department that you could intern for would help? Better to play a club sport at a big D1 school or to play on a D3 team? What would one major in? Should she be looking at schools that tout their "sports management" programs?

Any thoughts or advice from people who know college athletics better than I do would be really helpful!

This is a great q.

I feel this is way more opaque than how to become a GM, sporting director in pro sports which I have lots of knowledge about.

College sports jobs otoh are so opaque.

I wil say do not get suckered into sports management programs.

M7 mba will help way way more, especiallly mit sloan (sloan connection to the sport world ironically is immense), HBS,GsB.

Source? I Googled the athletic directors at a bunch of schools I could think of off the top of their head. This doesn't seem to be the case at all.
Harvard AD- Hofstra undergrad (international business); UMass Amherst master's (sport management)
Yale - Colgate undergrad (BA poli sci and education), Colgate MA History
Brown - BS from Brown in Electrical Engineering; MA in exercise science from University of Florida, PhD in higher education administration from Florida, MBA from Lehigh
Penn AD- BA from Penn in anthropology, MA and EdD in higher education administration from Penn
Princeton AD - BA from Princeton, law degree from Northwestern
Columbia AD - Bachelor in accounting from BYU, master's in sport administration from Ohio University
Cornell AD - Bachelor's in history from Franklin & Marshall College, master's degree in counseling from Colgate
Dartmouth AD - Bachelor's in government, Master's in leadership from Northeastern
Stanford AD - bachelor's in organizational behavior and management from Brown; Master's degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University
Duke AD - bachelor's in accounting from Notre Dame, law degree from Tulane
Notre Dame AD - BA from Notre Dame in economics, Law degree from Stanford
Michigan AD - BA from Michigan in psychology, MSW from Michigan, MBA from Michigan
Georgetown AD - BA from Cleveland State, master's in sport administration from University of New Mexico
Northwestern AD - BS from Vanderbilt in human development, master's in sport administration from Wayne State, doctorate in higher education administration from Arkansas
Wisconsin AD - BS in agricultural economics from Wisconsin, master's in educational leadership and policy from Wisconsin
UVA AD - bachelor's in sociology from Georgia, PhD in Sports administration and management from Florida State
University of Maryland AD - Bachelor's in finance from Georgia, master's in sports management from University of Georgia
UCLA AD - bachelor's in communication from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, master's in sports administration and MBA from Ohio University
USC AD - bachelor's degree from University of Kansas, master's in sports administration from Ohio University
UC Berkeley AD - bachelor's in engineering from West Point, master's in civil engineering from Cornell
Vanderbilt AD - bachelor's in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt, master's in human development counseling from Vanderbilt, EdD in higher education and policy from Vanderbilt


Many of them were college athletes and/or alumnae of the university at which they are currently ADs. But yeah, wide range of majors and grad degrees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My junior has locked in on this being a great job for herself someday. I can see it - she loves sports, loves coaching, loves helping people, has an extroverted and outgoing personality.

I have no idea how to get from A to B though. I assume going to a university with a robust athletics department that you could intern for would help? Better to play a club sport at a big D1 school or to play on a D3 team? What would one major in? Should she be looking at schools that tout their "sports management" programs?

Any thoughts or advice from people who know college athletics better than I do would be really helpful!

This is a great q.

I feel this is way more opaque than how to become a GM, sporting director in pro sports which I have lots of knowledge about.

College sports jobs otoh are so opaque.

I wil say do not get suckered into sports management programs.

M7 mba will help way way more, especiallly mit sloan (sloan connection to the sport world ironically is immense), HBS,GsB.

Source? I Googled the athletic directors at a bunch of schools I could think of off the top of their head. This doesn't seem to be the case at all.
Harvard AD- Hofstra undergrad (international business); UMass Amherst master's (sport management)
Yale - Colgate undergrad (BA poli sci and education), Colgate MA History
Brown - BS from Brown in Electrical Engineering; MA in exercise science from University of Florida, PhD in higher education administration from Florida, MBA from Lehigh
Penn AD- BA from Penn in anthropology, MA and EdD in higher education administration from Penn
Princeton AD - BA from Princeton, law degree from Northwestern
Columbia AD - Bachelor in accounting from BYU, master's in sport administration from Ohio University
Cornell AD - Bachelor's in history from Franklin & Marshall College, master's degree in counseling from Colgate
Dartmouth AD - Bachelor's in government, Master's in leadership from Northeastern
Stanford AD - bachelor's in organizational behavior and management from Brown; Master's degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University
Duke AD - bachelor's in accounting from Notre Dame, law degree from Tulane
Notre Dame AD - BA from Notre Dame in economics, Law degree from Stanford
Michigan AD - BA from Michigan in psychology, MSW from Michigan, MBA from Michigan
Georgetown AD - BA from Cleveland State, master's in sport administration from University of New Mexico
Northwestern AD - BS from Vanderbilt in human development, master's in sport administration from Wayne State, doctorate in higher education administration from Arkansas
Wisconsin AD - BS in agricultural economics from Wisconsin, master's in educational leadership and policy from Wisconsin
UVA AD - bachelor's in sociology from Georgia, PhD in Sports administration and management from Florida State I
University of Maryland AD - Bachelor's in finance from Georgia, master's in sports management from University of Georgia
UCLA AD - bachelor's in communication from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, master's in sports administration and MBA from Ohio University
USC AD - bachelor's degree from University of Kansas, master's in sports administration from Ohio University
UC Berkeley AD - bachelor's in engineering from West Point, master's in civil engineering from Cornell
Vanderbilt AD - bachelor's in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt, master's in human development counseling from Vanderbilt, EdD in higher education and policy from Vanderbilt


Many of them were college athletes and/or alumnae of the university at which they are currently ADs. But yeah, wide range of majors and grad degrees.

I did a search for a few (not as many as you!) and those with advanced degrees in sports administration (and similar) that I looked at got the degrees at schools where they were already working. So I still think getting your foot in the door at a junior level is the most important thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My junior has locked in on this being a great job for herself someday. I can see it - she loves sports, loves coaching, loves helping people, has an extroverted and outgoing personality.

I have no idea how to get from A to B though. I assume going to a university with a robust athletics department that you could intern for would help? Better to play a club sport at a big D1 school or to play on a D3 team? What would one major in? Should she be looking at schools that tout their "sports management" programs?

Any thoughts or advice from people who know college athletics better than I do would be really helpful!

This is a great q.

I feel this is way more opaque than how to become a GM, sporting director in pro sports which I have lots of knowledge about.

College sports jobs otoh are so opaque.

I wil say do not get suckered into sports management programs.

M7 mba will help way way more, especiallly mit sloan (sloan connection to the sport world ironically is immense), HBS,GsB.

Can you say more about sports management programs? I see them cropping up more and more.

Most students gets to brag about interning with some national league team... for free or low wages, of course, but then have a REALLY hard time getting a job.
Ask about job placement from a sports management program. I just keep hearing "my son/daughter majored in sports management and can't find a job."
The degree doesn't translate into much use if you can't get a job in the field.


Looks at the employment section of sports' teams website. Generally they hire social media/accounting/marketing/. Esports - what that is, is becoming popular.
MIT Sloan hosts a big sports management/data analytics convention. Worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

VCU Center for Sport Leadership

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My junior has locked in on this being a great job for herself someday. I can see it - she loves sports, loves coaching, loves helping people, has an extroverted and outgoing personality.

I have no idea how to get from A to B though. I assume going to a university with a robust athletics department that you could intern for would help? Better to play a club sport at a big D1 school or to play on a D3 team? What would one major in? Should she be looking at schools that tout their "sports management" programs?

Any thoughts or advice from people who know college athletics better than I do would be really helpful!

This is a great q.

I feel this is way more opaque than how to become a GM, sporting director in pro sports which I have lots of knowledge about.

College sports jobs otoh are so opaque.

I wil say do not get suckered into sports management programs.

M7 mba will help way way more, especiallly mit sloan (sloan connection to the sport world ironically is immense), HBS,GsB.

Source? I Googled the athletic directors at a bunch of schools I could think of off the top of their head. This doesn't seem to be the case at all.
Harvard AD- Hofstra undergrad (international business); UMass Amherst master's (sport management)
Yale - Colgate undergrad (BA poli sci and education), Colgate MA History
Brown - BS from Brown in Electrical Engineering; MA in exercise science from University of Florida, PhD in higher education administration from Florida, MBA from Lehigh
Penn AD- BA from Penn in anthropology, MA and EdD in higher education administration from Penn
Princeton AD - BA from Princeton, law degree from Northwestern
Columbia AD - Bachelor in accounting from BYU, master's in sport administration from Ohio University
Cornell AD - Bachelor's in history from Franklin & Marshall College, master's degree in counseling from Colgate
Dartmouth AD - Bachelor's in government, Master's in leadership from Northeastern
Stanford AD - bachelor's in organizational behavior and management from Brown; Master's degree in Sports Administration from Ohio University
Duke AD - bachelor's in accounting from Notre Dame, law degree from Tulane
Notre Dame AD - BA from Notre Dame in economics, Law degree from Stanford
Michigan AD - BA from Michigan in psychology, MSW from Michigan, MBA from Michigan
Georgetown AD - BA from Cleveland State, master's in sport administration from University of New Mexico
Northwestern AD - BS from Vanderbilt in human development, master's in sport administration from Wayne State, doctorate in higher education administration from Arkansas
Wisconsin AD - BS in agricultural economics from Wisconsin, master's in educational leadership and policy from Wisconsin
UVA AD - bachelor's in sociology from Georgia, PhD in Sports administration and management from Florida State
University of Maryland AD - Bachelor's in finance from Georgia, master's in sports management from University of Georgia
UCLA AD - bachelor's in communication from University of North Carolina at Wilmington, master's in sports administration and MBA from Ohio University
USC AD - bachelor's degree from University of Kansas, master's in sports administration from Ohio University
UC Berkeley AD - bachelor's in engineering from West Point, master's in civil engineering from Cornell
Vanderbilt AD - bachelor's in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt, master's in human development counseling from Vanderbilt, EdD in higher education and policy from Vanderbilt


Many of them were college athletes and/or alumnae of the university at which they are currently ADs. But yeah, wide range of majors and grad degrees.

I think that pp’s post is more accurate for pro sports executives.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a friend who is a physician and trying to work his way into Athletic Director. It's tough.

Well yeah, those don't overlap. Why aren't they looking to be a medical director?

Who would want to be a medical director? AD jobs are great. You make no money until you get one a t a power 5 and even then you can be fired for anything any of your coaches do. But the job would be great while you have it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Google some athletic directors and read their bios. Email some and ask for informational interviews.

👍
I could tell you how to become nationals GM or Wiz GM…

…I have no idea how gtown ad or umd ad gets their job.

I do know at power 5 school (b10, sec, pac12), the skills seem to overlap a lot with being a media executive as you are selling a product.

tell us how to become a sports GM - my kid(s) will thank you!