Full media release...
TU VP & Director of Athletics Derrick Gragg accepts newly created post with NCAA
TULSA, Okla. –– Derrick Gragg, University of Tulsa vice president and director of athletics since 2013, announced today he is leaving TU for a position as the new senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement at the NCAA.
NCAA RELEASE LINK: https://www.ncaa.org/about/resource...-inclusion-education-and-community-engagement
“Derrick's leadership truly will be missed,” TU Interim President Janet Levit said. “He recognizes that the student in student-athlete always comes first. Even while building a championship culture for the Golden Hurricane, his focus was always on helping students succeed in the classroom as well as on the field.”
While no immediate successor has been named, Levit will work with university leaders to soon name an interim leader for the department. Gragg will stay on at TU until Sept. 17. His role with the NCAA begins Oct. 5.
“We appreciate Derrick’s willingness to continue to support TU during this transition period and thank him for his many years of service and contributions to TU athletics,” Levit said.
Gragg said he is proud of what the program has accomplished during the past seven years. “I am extremely appreciative of our student-athletes, coaches and staff members who have represented the institution and the Department of Athletics with distinction and excellence,” Gragg said. “Since entering the American Athletic Conference, our vision has been to achieve top-tier performance in all sports while also being the premier academic program in the conference. I certainly feel that we have achieved this goal and many more.”
Under Gragg’s leadership, Tulsa athletics made the transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference in 2014-15. In the first six years of Tulsa’s membership, Hurricane teams have won the second-most league championships with 19 conference titles and has had 18 second-place finishes. Tulsa closed out its membership in C-USA with seven league crowns in that final season of 2013-14.
Within his first 20 months, Gragg administered the development and implementation of the athletic department’s strategic plan. He was also very instrumental in securing the largest-ever planned gift for athletics at The University of Tulsa (approximately $7 million). During Gragg’s tenure, several of the TU athletic facilities have been renovated, including the Chapman Stadium ONEOK club area, locker rooms for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball, as well as a new auxiliary strength and conditioning facility for men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and women’s golf.
Gragg has facilitated the department’s first all-sport apparel agreement with adidas, tripling the amount of athletics apparel for student-athletes, coaches and staff. He oversaw renegotiations of a long-term multi-year agreement with Learfield/Golden Hurricane Sports Properties and also served as tournament director for NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Round games in 2017 and 2019 at Tulsa’s downtown BOK Center.
During Gragg’s tenure, Tulsa has advanced to postseason competition 53 times and has produced 28 All-America selections, eight CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and 1,158 American Athletic Conference academic honor roll recipients. Tulsa’s graduation success rate under Gragg’s leadership has reached 87 percent, while the combined student-athlete grade point average has peaked at 3.207. Tulsa’s community service hours have surpassed 5,000 hours each of the last five years.
TU VP & Director of Athletics Derrick Gragg accepts newly created post with NCAA
TULSA, Okla. –– Derrick Gragg, University of Tulsa vice president and director of athletics since 2013, announced today he is leaving TU for a position as the new senior vice president for inclusion, education and community engagement at the NCAA.
NCAA RELEASE LINK: https://www.ncaa.org/about/resource...-inclusion-education-and-community-engagement
“Derrick's leadership truly will be missed,” TU Interim President Janet Levit said. “He recognizes that the student in student-athlete always comes first. Even while building a championship culture for the Golden Hurricane, his focus was always on helping students succeed in the classroom as well as on the field.”
While no immediate successor has been named, Levit will work with university leaders to soon name an interim leader for the department. Gragg will stay on at TU until Sept. 17. His role with the NCAA begins Oct. 5.
“We appreciate Derrick’s willingness to continue to support TU during this transition period and thank him for his many years of service and contributions to TU athletics,” Levit said.
Gragg said he is proud of what the program has accomplished during the past seven years. “I am extremely appreciative of our student-athletes, coaches and staff members who have represented the institution and the Department of Athletics with distinction and excellence,” Gragg said. “Since entering the American Athletic Conference, our vision has been to achieve top-tier performance in all sports while also being the premier academic program in the conference. I certainly feel that we have achieved this goal and many more.”
Under Gragg’s leadership, Tulsa athletics made the transition from Conference USA to the American Athletic Conference in 2014-15. In the first six years of Tulsa’s membership, Hurricane teams have won the second-most league championships with 19 conference titles and has had 18 second-place finishes. Tulsa closed out its membership in C-USA with seven league crowns in that final season of 2013-14.
Within his first 20 months, Gragg administered the development and implementation of the athletic department’s strategic plan. He was also very instrumental in securing the largest-ever planned gift for athletics at The University of Tulsa (approximately $7 million). During Gragg’s tenure, several of the TU athletic facilities have been renovated, including the Chapman Stadium ONEOK club area, locker rooms for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball, as well as a new auxiliary strength and conditioning facility for men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and women’s golf.
Gragg has facilitated the department’s first all-sport apparel agreement with adidas, tripling the amount of athletics apparel for student-athletes, coaches and staff. He oversaw renegotiations of a long-term multi-year agreement with Learfield/Golden Hurricane Sports Properties and also served as tournament director for NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Round games in 2017 and 2019 at Tulsa’s downtown BOK Center.
During Gragg’s tenure, Tulsa has advanced to postseason competition 53 times and has produced 28 All-America selections, eight CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and 1,158 American Athletic Conference academic honor roll recipients. Tulsa’s graduation success rate under Gragg’s leadership has reached 87 percent, while the combined student-athlete grade point average has peaked at 3.207. Tulsa’s community service hours have surpassed 5,000 hours each of the last five years.
