Damon Evans was named Director of Athletics for the University of Maryland on June 25, 2018.
Evans joined the Terrapins in December of 2014 and most recently served as Executive Athletic Director and Chief Financial Officer. He had overseen all day-to-day operations for the athletic department since October of 2017 prior to his appointment as Director of Athletics.
Since October of 2017, Maryland has had immense success both on and off the playing surface. Academically, 89 student-athletes graduated and 151 student-athletes received Academic All-Big Ten honors. Nine programs earned perfect single-year Academic Progress Rates, while the football team turned in its best score (.981) since 2003.
Six programs advanced to postseason play in 2017-18, including the field hockey, men’s lacrosse and women’s lacrosse programs, which each advanced to their respective national semifinals. Individually, 26 student-athletes earned all-america honors, while 42 earned All-Big Ten honors.
Evans also oversaw a $21.25 million dollar gift by Barry and Mary Gossett to establish the Barry and Mary Gossett Center for Academic and Personal Excellence, which will help student-athletes secure internships while in school and full-time jobs after graduating.
Over the past three years, Evans has assumed increasing responsibilities as Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Athletics. In addition, he is the administrative liaison for football and serves as the lead representative on all contractual agreements and capital projects. Evans also has oversight of each of the four main branches of the organization including Revenue Enhancement, Academics & Student Development, Program Support & Integrity and Internal Operations.
Evans was appointed as the liason to lead the new Cole Field House project, a bold facility which will unite vital programs in sports medicine, public health, athletics training and academic innovation. Additionally, he was the driving force behind the department’s new multimedia rights agreement with the Washington, DC and Baltimore media markets.
As the director of athletics at the University of Georgia from 2004-10, Evans managed a program with 600 student-athletes, an $85 million budget and a staff of 250. The Bulldogs won 13 national championships and 19 SEC titles during Evans’ tenure. Under Evans’ guidance, Georgia annually finished in the top 10 in the Learfield Director’s Cup and also amassed $65 million for the athletic department’s reserve fund, an increase of over $56 million in just a six-year period.
In 2009, Evans was named the Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year for the Division I Southeast Region. He earned the Sports Business Journal’s “Forty Under 40” award in 2004, 2005 and 2007. The May 5, 2003 edition of Sports Illustrated rated Evans as one of the “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports.”
Evans maintained multiple leadership positions outside of his work in Athens, serving as the first-ever chair of the NCAA Leadership Council from 2008-10. Evans was also the Capital Campaign Chairman of the Boys & Girls Club of Athens from 2005-09.
In Evans’ second year as director of athletics, Georgia was recognized as the “Nation’s Most Profitable Intercollegiate Athletics Program,” according to an EADA report.
Evans’ first year as director of athletics saw Georgia post a record fundraising total of $32 million, achieve record-setting logo license revenue, and negotiate a new eight-year marketing rights agreement with ISP Sports with guaranteed revenues of $93 million.
Prior to Maryland, Evans was a managing partner at Evolution Sports Partners in New Jersey. The new business focused on technology, analytics, and consulting services for athletic organizations.
A four-year starter on Georgia’s football team, Evans played in three bowl games under legendary head coach Vince Dooley. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1992 and a master’s degree of education in sports management in 1994, both from Georgia.
Evans and his wife Kerri have two children, Cameron and Kennedy.