Director of Athletics
THE VOLS REVIEW HONORS RECORDS
Mike and Beth Hamilton with Matthew and Madison 2009 VOLUNTEERS FOOTBALL
VOLMANAC
Born: Aug. 13, 1963, in Brevard, N.C. High School Education: Brevard High School. College Education: B.S. Accounting, Clemson University 1985, MBA, Clemson University 1988. Professional Career: NCNB Corp., Tampa, Fla., 1985-86; Clemson IPTAY Club, 1986-88; Assistant Director, Wake Forest Deacon Club, 1988-92; UT Assistant Athletics Director, Development, 1992-96; UT Associate Athletics Director, Development & Marketing, 1996-2002, UT Senior Associate Athletics Director, Development & Marketing, 2002-03; UT Director of Athletics, 2003-present. Wife: Elizabeth (Beth) Merrill Hamilton. Children: Madison, Matthew, Natneal Edward, Kiya Isiah and McKinley Kalu.
STAFF
Hamilton’s Personal Data
Mike Hamilton has a vision for leading the University of Tennessee to become the national standard of achievement in intercollegiate athletics. Since becoming Director of Athletics in 2003, Tennessee has placed in the top 15 of the Director’s Cup two times, brought home four national titles, 14 SEC or SEC divisional championships, and produced 156 All-Americas. On the academic front, Tennessee has produced 10 first-team Academic All-Americas, two SEC Scholar Athletes of the Year, 975 Academic All-SEC honors and had 372 student-athletes earn degrees. In addition, 26 former student-athletes who left to pursue professional athletic careers have returned to finish their degrees through the Renewing Academic Commitment (RAC) program administered by the Thornton Athletics Student Life Center. In the 2008-09 school year, 42.2 percent of student-athletes earned a 3.0 GPA in the fall with 50 percent earning that same mark in the spring. This fall, 11 UT football players are competing as graduate students, while five are working toward a second degree. Prior to being named athletics director, Hamilton spent 11 years in the UT athletics development office. During his stint there, the department saw donations rise from $5 million in 1992 to $19.5 million in 2003. Donations rose to $42 million in 2008 and UT Athletics has implemented a zero-based budgeting model to create a reserve of more than $7 million to ensure UT can continue to be one of a handful of athletics departments in the country receiving no funds from state subsidies or taxes. As visionary of the Neyland Stadium Master Plan, unveiled in the fall of 2004, Hamilton is ensuring that Neyland Stadium will be around for the next 75 years and for generations of Vol fans to come. One key goal of the master plan, which is being completed in five phases, was to fund the renovations without overburdening the general fan primarily through the use of premium seat opportunities and targeted philanthropic gifts. Now in Phase III, Neyland Stadium already has seen renovations to the concourses, concessions and restrooms in the west and northwest areas of the stadium as well as renovations to the locker room, the addition of a field level Lettermen’s Room and new media center, brick work around the field level, renovated west side skyboxes and press level, and the addition of the East Club and West Club, which are primary funding models for the renovations. By the 2010 season, more than 60 percent of the stadium will be completely renovated. In addition to the Neyland Stadium Master Plan, Hamilton also has overseen the creation of the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center, Regal Soccer Stadium, Lee Softball Stadium and Pratt Pavilion basketball practice facility. In addition, improvements have been made to Thompson-Boling Arena and Lindsey Nelson Stadium to ensure that Tennessee has the best facilities to give its student-athletes and coaches the resources to compete for championships every season. Under Hamilton’s watch, Tennessee secured a partnership with IMG College worth a minimum of $133 million between 2007 and 2022. This extension provided additional funding that will allow Vol fans to enjoy a new HD video board at Neyland Stadium beginning with the 2009 season. In addition to athletics facility upgrades, Hamilton has placed a focus on giving back to the school and the community through a variety of ways. For fiscal year 2009, the athletics department contributed more than $6.26 million in direct cash support to the University. The athletics department also provides indirect benefits to the University of more than $24 million through athletics benefits to UT employees and students through: free or reduced rate tickets to sporting events; licensing revenue; player-of-
the-game scholarships; alumni association tickets; use of football skyboxes for University purposes; as well as utilities’ costs and maintenance expenses for athletics facilities, which are centrally funded for other campus units. Hamilton joined UT as Assistant Athletics Director for Development in 1992 and worked his way up to Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations in 2002 before being named Director of Athletics. A native of Brevard, N.C., he served as assistant director of the Deacon Club at Wake Forest University before joining the Vols staff in 1992. He earlier had served as a graduate assistant in fundraising at his alma mater, Clemson University, where he earned both a bachelor’s of science in accounting and a master’s in business administration. Hamilton was honored in the spring of 1998 when the National Association of Athletic Development Directors named him National Fundraiser of the Year. In 2006, he was named to the NCAA Academics, Eligibility and Compliance Cabinet. He currently is a member of the NCAA’s Athletic Personnel Issues and Recruiting Cabinet as well as a member of the NCAA Football Academic Working Groups to study academic issues in college football. He was selected to serve on the SEC Advisory Group for Bowl Negotiations and the most recent television and media negotiations, as well as a subcommittee in the league to address cost containment issues. He is an active member of NACDA and the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association, where is a frequent guest speaker, and is actively engaged in an Athletic Directors’ Think Tank for Professional Growth. Hamilton is the immediate past chairman of the Knox Area Chamber Partnership and serves on the board of directors of the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. He also is involved in the Crohns/Colitis Foundation of America, Redeemer Church, Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries and Adoption Advocate iniatitives. In 2004, he and his wife created the Mike and Beth Hamilton Celebrity Golf Classic for Bethany Christian Services, which has raised more than $300,000 for adoption services. Hamilton is married to the former Elizabeth Merrill, also from Brevard. They are parents of a daughter, Madison, and a son, Matthew, and the family is welcoming three children – two sons, Natnael Edward, 7, and Kiya Isiah, 4, and an infant daughter, McKinley Kalu – from Ethopia this summer.
OUTLOOK
Mike Hamilton
DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS MIKE HAMILTON
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