Damon Evans

Athletic Director, University of Georgia

UGA letter winner and double degree holder Damon Evans was selected as Director of Athletics in December 2003, and assumed the duties officially on July 1, 2004. At the time he was just 34 years of age, and one of the youngest athletic directors in the country. However, he had already established himself as an up and coming athletic administrator. Evans received several honors including the Street and Smith’s Sports Business Journal “40 Under 40 Award” for 2004 and 2005, the UGA Terry College of Business Award as the “Outstanding Young Alumnus”, and Sports Illustrated’s “101 Most Influential Minorities in Sports”.

Today, Evans oversees a nationally recognized program with 21 intercollegiate sports teams involving more than 500 student-athletes, a $74 million budget and a 250 person staff. He is a member of several Southeastern Conference and NCAA Committees, and is involved in volunteer and community service roles across the state of Georgia.

In his first year at the helm, Georgia captured three national championships and finished seventh nationally in the NACDA Directors’ Cup for 2004-05. Additionally, UGA enjoyed the best year of fundraising in school history with over $32 million raised for both operating budget and endowment.

Success continued at UGA in 2005-06 as one national championship and a record seven conference titles were won by Bulldog teams. Georgia was also recognized as the “most profitable intercollegiate athletics program in the country.”

During Damon’s third year as Director of Athletics, 2006-07, Georgia Gymnastics won its third straight National Championship and eighth overall and Men’s Tennis capped an undefeated season by winning the National Championship on campus at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Additionally, Georgia claimed SEC titles in Men’s and Women’s Tennis, and Women’s Golf. Other highlights included UGA student-athletes earning the highest combined departmental GPA ever recorded and reaching and surpassing the Association’s goal of $60 million as part of the University-wide “Archway to Excellence Capital Campaign” by raising over $10 million for a grand total of $63 million for the “Investing in Champions” initiative.

Evans was born in Nebraska, but spent much of his youth in Gainesville, Georgia where he graduated from Gainesville High School after a stellar career both athletically and academically. During his football career at Georgia (1988-92), Evans earned a starting assignment four consecutive seasons, played in three bowl games (‘89 Peach, ‘91 Independence, and ‘92 Citrus) and was a member of the ’91 and ’92 teams that won nine and ten games, respectively. He earned two degrees from the University of Georgia, receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1992 and a master’s of education in sports management in 1994.

Evans joined the staff at the University of Missouri, serving as Director of Compliance and Operations (1994-95). After holding the positions as a Director and Assistant Commissioner for Eligibility and Compliance Services at the Southeastern Conference (1995-98), he returned to his alma mater. Before his appointment as UGA Director of Athletics, Damon held titles of Associate and Senior Associate A.D. for Internal Affairs. Currently he is Vice-Chair of the NCAA Division I Management Council (the highest governance committee attainable by an athletic administrator) and has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Oversight and Monitoring Group. He is married to the former Kerri Budd of Atlanta and they have two children, Cameron and Kennedy.