Rice Welcomes Davon Robb
11/2/2023 4:01:00 PM | General
Owls’ Senior Associate AD of Competitive Excellence
Houston-Rice Vice President and Director of Athletics Tommy McClelland announced on Thursday the addition of Davon Robb to the department's senior leadership team as the Owls' Senior Associate AD of Competitive Excellence.
Robb comes to Rice from Towson University where he served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management for the past four years.
In his new position, he will collaborate with athletic department staff, student-athletes, coaches, and other members of the Rice community to identify opportunities to improve Rice's profile in the areas of athletic and academic performance and student-athlete wellbeing. Robb will oversee the execution of initiatives, working with key constituents to carry out projects both large and small in scope and impact.
"Davon was exactly the type of candidate I had in mind when we created this position," McClelland stated. "He has the depth of experience, both as a former student-athlete and as someone with practical experience in so many functions of an athletic department, that meshes perfectly with my vision for this role."
"I'm deeply honored and grateful that Tommy McClelland invited me to join the Rice family," Robb said. "His commitment to compete successfully at the highest level without compromising the academic excellence and integrity of Rice University truly exemplifies who he is as a person. I'm excited to work with the phenomenal student-athletes, coaches, staff, and many others that make Rice a world-class institution."
While at Towson, Robb developed a strategic plan for campus facilities and athletics that included working with vice presidents, senior staff administration, and consultants. He managed multiple capital projects that totaled more than $10 million. He also served as the sport administrator for the women's soccer as well as women's track and field programs.
A former football student-athlete, Robb walked on at the University of Virginia in 2002 and was placed on scholarship before the 2004 season. He received the Louis A. Onesty Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior and was a three-time recipient of the Atlantic Coast Conference Top VI Community Service Award. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in Anthropology and moved on to Northwestern, where he received his Master of Arts in Sport Administration in June of 2010.
He served the Associate Director of Academic Services at Northwestern while he was completing his graduate work and continued in that role through January 2014 when he was named Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Services and Student Development at Loyola University.
He joined the staff of the Big Ten Conference in October, 2015 as the Associate Director of Football and Basketball Operations and remained in that role until accepting the position at Towson in 2019.
Robb comes to Rice from Towson University where he served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities and Event Management for the past four years.
In his new position, he will collaborate with athletic department staff, student-athletes, coaches, and other members of the Rice community to identify opportunities to improve Rice's profile in the areas of athletic and academic performance and student-athlete wellbeing. Robb will oversee the execution of initiatives, working with key constituents to carry out projects both large and small in scope and impact.
"Davon was exactly the type of candidate I had in mind when we created this position," McClelland stated. "He has the depth of experience, both as a former student-athlete and as someone with practical experience in so many functions of an athletic department, that meshes perfectly with my vision for this role."
"I'm deeply honored and grateful that Tommy McClelland invited me to join the Rice family," Robb said. "His commitment to compete successfully at the highest level without compromising the academic excellence and integrity of Rice University truly exemplifies who he is as a person. I'm excited to work with the phenomenal student-athletes, coaches, staff, and many others that make Rice a world-class institution."
While at Towson, Robb developed a strategic plan for campus facilities and athletics that included working with vice presidents, senior staff administration, and consultants. He managed multiple capital projects that totaled more than $10 million. He also served as the sport administrator for the women's soccer as well as women's track and field programs.
A former football student-athlete, Robb walked on at the University of Virginia in 2002 and was placed on scholarship before the 2004 season. He received the Louis A. Onesty Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award as a senior and was a three-time recipient of the Atlantic Coast Conference Top VI Community Service Award. He graduated in 2007 with a degree in Anthropology and moved on to Northwestern, where he received his Master of Arts in Sport Administration in June of 2010.
He served the Associate Director of Academic Services at Northwestern while he was completing his graduate work and continued in that role through January 2014 when he was named Assistant Athletics Director for Academic Services and Student Development at Loyola University.
He joined the staff of the Big Ten Conference in October, 2015 as the Associate Director of Football and Basketball Operations and remained in that role until accepting the position at Towson in 2019.