DeLoss Dodds - Special Assistant to the Vice President and Athletics Director and UT President - Staff Directory (2024)

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•DeLoss Dodds named 2014 Distinguished Texan[Feb. 27, 2014]
•Dodds announces retirement as Texas Men's Athletics Director[Oct. 1, 2013]
•Dodds honored as Athletic Director of the Year[May 19, 2011]
•Texas Exes honor Dodds with Distinguished Service Award[Oct. 25, 2010]
•Dodds pleased with accomplishments, energized for what's to come[Longhorn Scoreboard, Jan. 2008]
•Dodds' leadership pays off for UT community[Longhorn Scoreboard, Nov. 2007]
•Dodds' Texas Sports Hall of Fame honor no surprise[Longhorn Scoreboard, March 2007]
•Dodds honored at Neighborhood Longhorns' 15th anniversary[Dec. 13, 2006]
•Dodds named Scouting's Distinguished Citizen[Nov. 15, 2006]
•Dodds selected to Texas Sports Hall of Fame[Sept. 22, 2006]
•Dodds to be inducted into U.S. Track Coaches Hall of Fame[Aug. 24, 2006]
•Dodds: A silver anniversary for the man with the Midas touch[Longhorn Scoreboard, Aug. 2006]
•Dodds honored with National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame award[May 25, 2006]
•Dodds named National Athletic Director of the Year[June 13, 2005]

DeLoss Dodds has served as special assistant to the UT President since Nov. 25, 2013.

During his tenure as the school's sixth athletics director, The University of Texas Men's Athletics program enjoyed some of its most dynamic times. From the fall of 1981 to September 2013, the Longhorns claimed 14 National Championships and 108 conference (Southwest and Big 12) titles in nine different sports, and with Dodds' direction, Texas became a national name.

The achievements and accolades go on and on, touching every student-athlete and every coach in every sport, but there is just one common denominator -- Dodds, the charming man from Kansas whose vision and leadership changed the face of Texas Athletics.

"If I have to say what I'm proudest of, one thing has to absolutely be the people," Dodds says.

Dodds' calm, thoughtful leadership pulled UT through the unpredictable summer 2010 climate of conference realignment. UT emerged as the leading member of a reorganized Big 12, and in January 2011, UT and ESPN announced the creation of the Longhorn Network, the first sports network devoted to a single school.

Longhorn Network launched on Friday, Aug. 26, 2011 with a live, two-hour special broadcast from The University's South Mall.

Dodds was honored as the 2011 Athletic Director of the Year at the Sports Business Awards, presented in New York City by Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily, the two leading publications on the business of sports.

Football's run to the BCS National Championship during the 2005-06 season highlighted, arguably, one of the most successful periods in UT Athletics history. The Longhorns' fourth national title underscored a decade of excellence that featured at least 10 victories in nine consecutive seasons, five straight bowl victories and appearances in the national title game in 2006 and 2010.

Additionally, Basketball enjoyed a school-record 14 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament, with Sweet 16 appearances in five of 11 years, and three Elite Eight appearances. Baseball advanced to the NCAA Men's College World Series seven times and won the national championship in 2002 and 2005.

Dodds' goal from the beginning was state-of-the-art -- to be the best, Texas needed the best. Dodds and the Longhorns invested nearly $400 million to renovate or build facilities.

The most recent renovations include a project to upgrade Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. With the new Red McCombs Red Zone on the stadium's north end and an expanded south end zone seating area, stadium capacity is now more than 100,000. The Red McCombs Red Zone includes a 20,000 square foot academic center, 47 suites, 1,988 club seats and 2,200 chair back seats, plus a food court and executive meeting space.

This project also included south end zone construction that added bleachers, a new football academic center and expanded training and medical facilities. The natural grass playing surface was also removed in favor of the more durable FieldTurf.

UFCU Disch-Falk Field, home to the championship baseball team, recently received a $27.3 million refurbishment that features 19 suites, a player development area and new FieldTurf. Faithful Texas fans also enjoy an expanded concourse, more concession areas and rest rooms.

Dodds, who oversaw a $163.3 million athletics budget at the time of his retirement, guided the creation of The Longhorn Foundation, the department's official fundraising leg. Before the Foundation was started in 1986, approximately $250,000 was raised annually by various UT booster clubs. In just its first year, The Longhorn Foundation raised more than $1 million.

Dodds' vision for The Longhorn Foundation, which now boasts 14,000-plus donors, was to raise funds invested in student-athlete scholarships, academic services, sports medicine, facilities and other resources directed at student-athlete development.

Dodds was honored with the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame's John L. Toner Award in December 2006 for demonstrating superior administrative abilities and showing outstanding dedication to college athletics, particularly college football. This came one year after Dodds was named the Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal National Athletic Director of the Year.

In February 2007, Dodds was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. In 2014, Dodds received the NFF Gridiron Club of Dallas Chapter's Most Distinguished Texan Award. the chapter's most prestigious honor.

Prior to coming to Texas in 1981, Dodds turned a struggling, "in-the-red" athletics department into a money-maker in three years as director of athletics at Kansas State. He also served as assistant commissioner of the Big Eight Conference for two years.

Born in Riley, Kan., Dodds was a prep football, basketball and track standout -- they called him the "Riley Flash." He later graduated from Kansas State in 1959 with a degree in physical education and a minor in psychology.

After spending time in graduate school and serving six months in the Army, Dodds returned to his alma mater as assistant track coach in 1961. He became head coach in 1963 and served in that position for 14 years. During that time, Dodds guided Kansas State to six Big Eight titles.

In December of 2006, Dodds was inducted into the U.S. Track Coaches Hall of Fame for his accomplishments with the Wildcats. Dodds was also inducted into the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Kansas State Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.

Dodds and his wife, Mary Ann, have three children -- Doug, Deidre and Debra -- and eight grandchildren.

(2 Feb 2016)