Leaders behind the scenes

The billions of dollars that flow annually through college athletics are generated by media deals and ticket sales, donations and merchandise sales.

Behind the scenes, an entire ecosystem of executives works mostly or entirely in the college space, creating revenue-producing tailgates, running championship events and building brands through college sponsorships. They are high-achieving entrepreneurs, media executives and deputy athletic directors who are poised to be the next generation of ADs.

The executives on this list of SBJ’s college Power Players might not be quoted in a press release, but each of them drives the business of college sports on a daily basis, producing revenue that supports athletic departments and an array of varsity sports.

The 63 individuals, representing 50 groups, have distinguished themselves as some of the best thinkers, problem-solvers and dealmakers in college sports and they will play a distinctly important role in its future.

Stories by staff writer Michael Smith

Media

Devron Edwards CBS Sports
Katy Mollica Turner Sports

Rosalyn Durant ESPN
Nick Dawson ESPN
Clint Overby ESPN Events
Sean Hanrahan Disney Advertising Sales
Mike Mulvihill Fox Sports
Derek Crocker Fox Sports
Kyle Sherman Home Team Sports / Fox Sports College Properties
Francois McGillicuddy Big Ten Network

Brands

Mark Aikman Mercedes-Benz

Byron Daub Capital One

Seth Freeman Buffalo Wild Wings

John Mount Coca-Cola
John Althoff State Farm

Agencies

Paul Archey JMI Sports

Chris Bevilacqua Bevilacqua Helfant Ventures

Todd Fischer GMR Marketing

Bo Heiner Octagon

Dean Jordan Wasserman

Mike Palisi Van Wagner

Drew Russell Intersport

Michael Schreck CSMG

Dan Shell Oak View Group

Vince Thompson Melt

Andy Rawlings Learfield IMG College
Cory Moss Collegiate Licensing Company
Kim Damron Paciolan
Jeff Rubin Sidearm Sports

Alan Gold Evolution Media Capital
Nick Khan CAA Sports
Karen Brodkin Endeavor
Hillary Mandel IMG Media

On Campus

Omar Banks Campbell University

Jason Butikofer Purdue University

Travis Goff Northwestern University

Arthur Johnson University of Texas

Nina King Duke University

Scott Kull University of Utah

Candice Lee Vanderbilt University

Graham Neff Clemson University

Heather Owen Stanford University

Rob Rademacher University of Michigan

Diana Sabau Ohio State University
Laird Veatch University of Florida

Off Campus

Charlie Hussey Southeastern Conference

JoAn Scott NCAA
Andrea Williams College Football Playoff

Partners

Dave Brown Gridiron

Parkey Duffey Tailgate Guys

Dan Gale Jr. Leona Marketing Group

David Herman Twitter

Rex Hough Dyehard Fan Supply

Jed Hughes Korn Ferry

Jill Krimmel StubHub

Nick Marquez Facebook

Tim Martin Ticketmaster

Daniel Parker Parker Executive Search

Len Perna Turnkey Sports & Entertainment

Todd Turner Collegiate Sports Associates

Jeff Schemmel College Sports Solutions

Derek Eiler Fanatics
Chris Prindiville Fanatics

First Look podcast, with Power Players discussion at the 19:55 mark: