Jeramiah Dickey, Deputy Athletics Director at the University of Houston, will become Baylor University’s Associate Vice President for Athletics Operations effective Feb. 13, Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades announced today.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jeramiah, his wife Elizabeth, and their children, Emerson and Eli, to the Baylor Athletics family,” Rhoades said. “Having worked with Jeramiah at three institutions, I have found him to be an extremely talented administrator of great integrity and faith who believes in Baylor’s Christian mission.
“He is recognized as a rising superstar in intercollegiate athletics with extensive experience in both the external and internal operations of an athletics department and is a seasoned sports program administrator. Jeramiah will play a significant role in advancing Baylor Athletics and our student-athlete centered mission of Preparing Champions for Life.”
In his new position at Baylor, Dickey will provide leadership, oversight and management to various external and internal units within the department while serving as sport program administrator for select programs. He will also serve as a senior advisory staff member to Rhoades and establish, foster and maintain clear and concise communications with coaches, administration and direct reports with regard to the department’s strategic initiatives and unit strategies, goals and objectives.
"I am humbled and grateful for the opportunity Mack Rhoades and Baylor University has provided me,” Dickey said. “I want to personally thank Hunter Yurachek and our many supporters and team members at the University of Houston. My family and I look forward to joining the Waco community, and we are excited about the future direction of Baylor Athletics.”
Dickey joined the Houston staff in May 2010 as Associate Athletics Director for Development and was promoted to Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Relations four years later before being named the Cougars’ Deputy Athletics Director on May 22, 2015. Working with current Houston Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek to oversee the day-to-day operation of the Cougars’ highly-successful program, Dickey also served as the department's liaison to University Advancement, the University of Houston Alumni Association and IMG, the multimedia rights partner for Houston Athletics. He was also the sport administrator for the nationally-ranked Houston football program.
Under Dickey's leadership, Cougar Pride, the development arm of Houston Athletics, established fundraising records in seven-consecutive years. More than 4,000 Cougar Pride members contributed $6.4M during the 2015-16 fiscal year to top the previous record of $5.2M. Dickey was also instrumental in the University of Houston securing a 10-year, $15M naming rights partnership with TDECU, an agreement that ranked third nationally among all collegiate facilities for corporate naming agreements, while serving on the stadium's opening committee.
In December of 2014, Dickey was a member of the hiring committee for Houston head football coach Tom Herman, and held the same responsibility when Major Applewhite was named Herman's replacement two years later. Prior to being elevated to serve as the sport program administrator for football, Dickey was Houston baseball's sport administrator during the program’s run to an American Conference championship and a spot in an NCAA Super Regional while tying a program record with 48 wins.
In its first year under Dickey's watch, a then-record 15,022 Houston football season tickets were sold while Cougar baseball season ticket sales increased by 185 percent in 2014-15. In 2016, Houston again established record football season ticket sales (25,311) while posting a school-record on campus home attendance record of 38,953 fans to break the previous mark of 33,980 set in 2015.
Dickey joined the Houston staff from the University of Akron, where he spent three years on Rhoades’ staff as Assistant Athletics Director for Development. During his tenure, he oversaw the Zips Athletics Scholarship Fund and solicited restricted sport-specific donations as well as major and capital campaign gifts. In a four-year stretch, his office increased overall giving from nearly $900,000 in 2005-06 to more than $2.2M in 2009-10; the first time in school history that giving topped the $2M mark.
He also played a key role in creating capital campaign initiatives, including naming opportunities for a variety of projects at Akron such as InfoCision Stadium-Summa Field, the Lee Jackson Track and Field Complex, the Lee Jackson Soccer Facility and the Center for Basketball Excellence in James A. Rhodes Arena.
An El Paso, Texas, native, Dickey previously worked with Rhoades as UTEP’s Assistant Director for Athletics Development. In addition to his primary role of managing and developing the Miner Athletic Club Annual Gift Fund, he successfully coordinated several projects, including a volunteer fund drive that resulted in nearly $400,000 in new season ticket sales and donations and a business campaign resulting in more than $40,000 in new contributions.
He began his UTEP career in 2003 as Assistant Director of Marketing and Promotions before transitioning to the development staff. During his one year in that position, he generated revenue through sponsorship and group ticket sales while acting as the community relations and advertising coordinator.
Dickey earned his bachelor's degree in sport management from the University of Texas in 2004. He and his wife, Elizabeth, have a daughter, Emerson, and a son, Elijah.
