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Omaha Athletics

Adrian Dowell Headshot

Adrian Dowell

  • Title
    Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics
  • Email
    ad@omavs.com
  • Phone
    402-554-6200
Experience
  • Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics, Omaha (NCAA Division I – Summit League) – 2021-Present
  • Assistant Vice President / Associate Athletic Director, Creighton (NCAA Division I – BIG EAST) – 2017-21
  • Senior Director / Assistant Athletic Director of Development, Creighton - 2014-17
  • Director of Development / Major Gift Officer, West Virginia (NCAA Division I – Big East/Big 12) – 2011-14
  • Major Gifts Graduate Assistant, West Virginia – 2009-11
  • Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Staff, NCAA – 2008-09
Personal
  • Native of Salem, Va.
  • Bachelor of Science, Health & Human Performance – Sports Management, Roanoke College
  • Master of Business Administration, West Virginia University
  • Master of Sport Management, West Virginia University
  • Dowell, his wife Stephanie and their three children (Lauren Grace, Paige and Adrian III [Tripp]), reside in Omaha
  • Stephanie, a former Maverick soccer great, is a member of the UNO Athletic Hall of Fame
  • Dowell was the captain of the Roanoke College men’s basketball program
Current Boards and Committees

Methodist Health System Board of Directors; National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee; Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Executive Committee; College World Series of Omaha Board of Directors; UNO Chancellor’s Cabinet; National Collegiate Hockey Conference Athletic Directors Council; Summit League Joint Athletic Directors & SWA Council
 
At Omaha
  • Appointed Vice Chancellor / Director of Athletics on Nov. 15, 2021
  • Responsible for the oversight of Omaha Athletics, its 16 varsity sport programs, 350 student-athletes, more than 130 full-time staff and over 200 part-time employees
  • Serves as chief executive of Baxter Arena and Maverick Park, multi-purpose facilities honored as the 2024 Omaha’s Choice Awards Arena & Best Indoor Complex winners
  • Student-athletes have achieved a 3.4-plus cumulative GPA over three-consecutive academic years, a 94% Graduation Success Rate (GSR) and 993 Academic Progress Rate (APR)
  • Omaha Athletics remains a force in the region in community engagement including over 3,000 hours of service annually which ranked 17th in Division I
  • Has led Omaha to unprecedented competitive successes at the Division I level, including eight NCAA tournament appearances, 11 conference titles and 16 appearances in conference championship games since 2021. Six Maverick teams have finished the season ranked in national polls
  • Hired current men’s basketball head coach Chris Crutchfield, the 2024-25 Summit League Coach of the Year, who led Omaha to its first Summit League Regular Season and Tournament Championships (2024-25) and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship
  • Dowell has hired head coaches for 10 of Omaha’s sport programs and since his arrival, UNO has not lost a sitting head coach to another institution
  • Negotiated the transformative partnership with the NCAA and College World Series of Omaha, Inc. to name the University of Nebraska at Omaha as co-host of the NCAA Men’s College World Series
  • Omaha Athletics has risen to new heights with consecutive years of attendance and ticketing revenue growth since fiscal year 2021, including the hockey program which has ranked in the top five nationally in attendance since 2021, including the nation’s largest attendance increase (2023)
  • Achieved record breaking fundraising production over his four years, including ten principal-level commitments
  • Since Dowell’s arrival, Omaha Athletics has experienced over a 60% increase in department self-generated revenues (ticketing, development, corporate sponsorships, licensing royalties, naming rights, event and food and beverage commissions)
  • Omaha has become an industry leader in innovative holistic support for student-athletes including:
    • A new comprehensive medical and team physician partnership with OrthoNebraska
    • Established and integrated sport psychology, mental health and sports nutrition support units
    • Establishment of an integrated sports science unit partnership between the Department of Biomechanics and Athletics Sports Performance
    • A nutritional training table program for all female student-athletes and sport programs
    • An Athletic Training Ph.D. Sports Science Fellowship with UNO's School of Health and Kinesiology, including the biomechanics department
    • A micro-credentialing program (Mav360) designed to holistically educate student-athletes to adhere with recent elevated NCAA Division I educational standards
    • The integration of a robust Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) educational and support program in partnership with the Omaha Bull Market Collective and Opendorse
  • Capital planning and construction completion of several projects including: Caniglia Field renovation; Sapp Fieldhouse Mental Health and Nutrition Support Wing; Buildertrend Breakaway Lounge and Maverick Hospitality Room at Baxter Arena, and the Baxter Arena Extension Facility in partnership with the Omaha Philanthropic Trust
Creighton Highlights
  • Chief Development Officer for Creighton Athletics and oversight of external affairs including revenue generation, external constituent engagement and public relations efforts
  • During his tenure, Creighton secured over $100 million in athletics contributions and experienced over 23% growth in men’s basketball ticketing and corporate sponsorship revenues
  • Served as a sport administrator for the men’s basketball program, which made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including the school’s first-ever Sweet 16, winning the 2020 BIG EAST Conference Regular Season Championship and an appearance in the 2021 BIG EAST Tournament Final
  • Established the Creighton Athletic Endowed Position program, including the McCormick Endowed Athletic Director Position; Jacqueline Johnson Basketball Endowed Positions; Hoch Family Point Guard Position; Pearson Family Endowed Guard Position; Lorraine Cross Basketball Endowed Position
  • Capital planning and construction completion of nearly a dozen projects including the Championship Center; Kitty Gaughan Baseball Locker Room; Golf Practice Facility at the OCC; D.J. Sokol Arena Enhancement; the Ruth Scott Training Facility; Carter Lake Rowing Facility; Morrison Stadium Renovation and CHI Health Center Omaha locker room projects
West Virginia Highlights
  • Responsible for principal, major, annual and planned gifts for capital projects, endowments and special projects
  • During his tenure, West Virginia recorded then two-consecutive record-breaking years in contributions which led to the completion of significant capital projects including the Basketball Practice Facility, Women’s Soccer Practice Facility and Football Weight Room Renovation
  • Oversaw WVU’s premium seating program, including suite and club ticketing operations, contracts, gameday operations and personnel
NCAA Highlights
  • Assisted the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball staff and committee with all logistics related to March Madness and Final Fours including: selection weekend, Final Four site selections, preliminary round operations, ticketing and television rights negotiations
Honors and Awards
  • Named an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska (highest civic honor in Nebraska) by Gov. Jim Pillen
  • NACDA John McLendon Post Graduate Scholarship Award Recipient
  • WVU Graduate Sports Management Jerry Wilkins Award Recipient
  • Roanoke College Paul W. Rice Award for athletic department leadership
  • Four-year letterwinner for men’s basketball
  • National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court
  • Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar First Team All-American
  • Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society
  • Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Academic Team
  • Roanoke College Daniel Poe Klein Scholarship Achievement Award
  • Roanoke College Outstanding Sophomore of the Health and Human Performance Department
  • Roanoke College Men’s Basketball All-Decade Team