Ladies and gentlemen, the time is near: within the next month and a half, William & Mary will have a brand new Athletics Director. Just two days ago, John O’Connor of the Richmond Times-Dispatch confirmed five names interviewing for the W&M AD role.
Those names are Brian Shallcross (’98), Mike Paulus (’12), Robb Dunn, Troy Austin, and Kim Record. In our minds, the fact that these names were confirmed in the press this late in the game also confirms the fact that all five are major players to land the role.
We’re proud to say that we at the W&M Sports Blog successfully predicted three out of the five names listed above over a series of two articles way back in October (which you can find here and here); you may also remember that we published what we believe to be the top-9 names for the gig last week, which ended up including four of the five names.
Taking a quick look, it’s important to note that two of the five names confirmed this week are W&M alums; and this is important because many of W&M’s most avid fans are looking for someone who truly understands what William & Mary Athletics “is all about.”
For many watching this process closely, W&M’s new AD must hold an intrinsic understanding of W&M’s true scholar-athlete ethos and overall academic mission. In many folks’ minds, that means a W&M alum should be our next AD.
But while we at the WMSB believe a W&M alum could be great for the role, we’d be remiss if we didn’t also note that several other esteemed collegiate athletics programs across the country more than understand what it means to produce consistently winning programs with true scholar athletes (think: Navy and Duke, to name just two). Why we chose Navy and Duke as examples will become more clear when digging deeper into the list of names below.
We’ve re-pasted info on each of the five candidates below for your reference, but are now also including Kim Record to the list — someone we haven’t detailed before. Kim is the current and longtime Athletics Director of UNC Greensboro.
We’ve heard her name before, and have received numerous glowing reviews of her time as head of UNCG. As such, we’ll start with Kim and the “non-W&M alums” before re-iterating information on the W&M alums being considered for the job.
Which one do you think is best for William & Mary?
Kim Record
Below is an abbreviated version of UNCG’s webpage for Record:
Kim Record is entering her 12th year as the UNCG Director of Athletics.
Record was named to the post Sept. 27, 2009 and leads a program that fields men’s and women’s teams in 17 sports, over 230 student-athletes and 70 employees. She was honored as one of 28 Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year award recipients at the 2014 NACDA Convention in Orlando in the NCAA Division I-AAA category.
In addition to making an impact at UNCG, the experienced Record is a well-respected administrator nationally. She is currently serving as the president-elect of the Division I-AAA Association and Greensboro Rotary Club. She is a member of the NCAA Committee on Academics and NACDA’s Third Vice President.
Record recently finished terms as the chair of the Competition Oversight Committee and as a member of NCAA Division I council.
Since arriving at UNCG, Record has reshaped and revamped the athletic department across the board. UNCG has seen improvements on the field and has stimulated interest within the campus and Greensboro communities.
Record has implemented ‘The Spartan Way’ strategic plan in an effort to ensure the continued success and future improvement of Spartan Athletics. The plan includes five core values and six goals for the department summarized with the motto – ‘We discover and develop champions in life.’
She also led the department through an unprecendented time during a pandemic. Despite the adversity, the Spartans shined in the classroom and had a record 174 student-athletes named to the SoCon academic honor roll. The women’s basketball team won the SoCon regular season title and men’s basketball finished with at least 23 wins for the fourth consecutive year.
Record, who served on the NCAA Championships cabinet in 2012-13, is also the vice-chair of the Greensboro Sports Commission, an active member with the Greensboro Rotary, a member of the Greensboro Sports Council and a member of the Women’s Professional Forum.
Record, in conjunction with former Chancellor Dr. Linda P. Brady, helped develop school spirit-building campaigns such as Move In, Sunday Funday, Go Blue Preview and Blue & Gold Fridays.
Record is responsible for the leadership, administration, organization and finances of UNCG’s athletics program, which underwent a major shift in men’s basketball. The Spartan men’s basketball team began playing its games in the Greensboro Coliseum in 2009-10, calling the Coliseum the home of the Spartans.
Record coordinates fundraising and operation of the Spartan Club with the vice chancellor for university advancement. She oversees efforts to engage alumni, fans and the community with UNCG athletics. The Spartan Club has surpassed its annual scholarship fund goal for the past five years.
The 2015-16 athletic scholarship fund goal was $425,000 and the Spartan Club eclipsed that mark by raising a total of $425,329, an all-time high. Over the past five years, the Spartan Club has raised more cash and gifts in kind than any other five-year period in the program’s history. In addition, the Spartan Club and the Student-Athlete Advisory Council coordinated the True Spartan Challenge, a student-athlete giving campaign that saw 100 percent of UNCG student-athletes make a gift back to their team enrichment funds for the third consecutive year.
Record also has a lead role in strategic planning and in athletics facilities development. She helped complete the facility upgrades at the UNCG Baseball Stadium and the renovations of the HHP locker room facilities. The 12,000 square foot HHP facility hosts team lounges, shower facilities and general locker room areas for men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s cross country and track, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball and softball.
Record, who served as a consultant with ISP Sports before taking her current position, was the senior associate director of athletics at Florida State University from 1995 to 2008, and held a succession of positions at the University of Virginia from 1984-1995, culminating with an appointment as associate director of athletics for administration.
Record emerged from a national search that drew 125 candidates, and is UNCG’s first female athletic director. She is only the second woman to hold an athletic director’s position in the 89-year history of the Southern Conference.
At UVA, she supervised all aspects of the day-to-day operations of the department and specialized in external operations. She implemented marketing and promotional strategies for all 26 sports programs as associate director of athletics for external operations. She was the executive staff member of a capital campaign team created to raise $50 million. She rose through the ranks at Virginia, where she earned her bachelor’s degree, starting out as a sports information intern who was progressively promoted in the department to associate director of athletics for administration.
Within the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), Record has served on both the executive committee and the Director’s Cup Committee. Within the NCAA, she served on the Women’s Soccer Committee and the Regional Soccer Committee.
A native of Charlottesville, she graduated from Virginia and earned an M.S. degree in sports management from Florida State. She has two adult sons – Kyle, Vice President, Corporate Development at Zelis Healthcare and his wife Brittany (current clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer) and Josh, University Tennis – Senior Events Manager for Collegiate and Professional Tennis and former student-athlete at the College of Charleston.
Robb Dunn
Below is an abbreviated version of Navy’s official webpage for Dunn:
“Robb Dunn currently serves as the Deputy Director of Athletics Administration and Club Sports at the U.S. Naval Academy, where he’s been since September 2007.
He is the sport administrator for football and women’s golf.
Dunn also coordinates Football team travel and Navy’s participation in neutral site and postseason bowl games, including Army-Navy and the 2012 Emerald Isle Classic in Dublin, Ireland.
In addition, he has oversight of the Naval Academy’s competitive intercollegiate Club Sports program, including nationally recognized teams like Boxing, Hockey, Rugby, and Triathlon.
Previous responsibilities at Navy Academy Athletic Association (NAAA), included serving as the Executive Director of the Blue-N*-Gold, the membership component of the Naval Academy Athletic Association.
Under his direction, contributions to the Blue-N*-Gold tripled during his tenure.
Dunn served on the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Committee from 2006 to 2012, including a three-year stint as chair, 2009-2012.
He also coordinated Navy’s responsibilities as host institution for the 2009 Frozen Four, the NCAA Division I Hockey Championship, in Washington, DC.
Prior to Navy, Dunn spent six years working at the College of William & Mary, where he started as Assistant Athletic Director for Facilities & Operations before being promoted to Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations in 2004.
Before his time in Williamsburg, he worked at the University of Michigan as a Facilities and Game Management Supervisor, Project Administrator in the Sport Facilities Research Laboratory, Lecturer/Graduate Student Instructor and Yost Arena Building Supervisor.
He also served as an Olympic Stadium Cluster Supervisor for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Dunn earned his master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Michigan in 1994 and his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California at Berkeley in 1993.
He has also completed coursework towards his doctorate in urban, technological and environmental planning through the University of Michigan.
Dunn currently lives in Annapolis with his wife, Jaime, and their daughters, Nora and Kate.”
Troy Austin
Exceprts taken directly from Austin’s bio on the Duke website:
Troy Austin returned to his alma mater in October of 2018 as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for Internal Affairs.
At Duke, Austin oversees athletics human resources, athletic medicine, sports performance, sports nutrition, behavioral health and equipment while serving as the lead sport administrator for the men’s and women’s cross country and track and field programs.
Austin’s return to Duke followed a successful stint as the Director of Athletics at Longwood University in Farmville, Va., where he guided the Lancer athletic department beginning in April of 2008 and spearheaded the school’s transition to NCAA Division I active membership. On the national level, he has served on the NCAA Division I Council as well as the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship committee.
Austin joined the Longwood athletic department in 2005 as the Director of Development. One year later, he served as the interim Director of Athletics before earning the full-time appointment. Prior to moving to Farmville, Austin was the director of program development and marketing relations for the National Football League Coaches Association (NFLCA) from 2003-05.
A native of Orange, N.J., Austin lettered four seasons (1997-98-99-00) as a defensive lineman at Duke, served as a team captain in his final campaign and earned the institution’s William J. Griffith Service Award. He graduated in 2000 with a degree in sociology and, in 2003, earned a master’s degree in sports leadership from the VCU Center for Sports Leadership. In addition, he received a Management Development Program Certificate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in 2009.
William & Mary Alums
Brian Shallcross
Another former W&M student-athlete (’98) who played football for the Tribe, Brian Shallcross largely spent his time in the ‘Burg under the tutelage of Jimmye Laycock.
In fact, Brian is a member of the Tribe Football Walk-On Hall of Fame.
Following an incredibly successful career as W&M’s top kicker, Shallcross graduated with a BBA in Marketing from the College.
Immediately following graduation, and looking to continue on in the sports world, he enrolled in Ohio University’s renowned Sports Administration program — ultimately graduating in 1999.
From there, it’s been a long, illustrious career in the world of sports business — as Shallcross’ resume includes two quick, early stops: one at UVA selling luxury suites and one in event services at Comcast Spectacor, the owner of the Flyers and Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
After those two stints, Shallcross entered the world of Minor League Baseball. And he’s never looked back.
Since 2004, he has been with the Bowie Baysox, the AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles; there, he holds the high-ranking title of General Manager.
Currently in his mid-40s, Brian now has two decades of professional experience in the world of sports business. He also holds a master’s degree in the field, and is a former W&M student-athlete.
While there would certainly be an initial learning curve for someone like Shallcross as W&M’s AD, transitions such as these do happen for many in the sports industry (e.g. Kevin Warren’s recent career move from the Minnesota Vikings COO to current Big 10 Commissioner).
And while we don’t have any inside knowledge as to Shallcross’ desire to hold the role as W&M Athletics Director, we’ve seen his name mentioned by alums on social media as someone to consider.
Mike Paulus
Below is an updated version of Navy’s official webpage for Paulus:
“Michael Paulus serves as the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development for the Naval Academy Athletic Association, where he has been since July 2018.
In his role, Paulus partners with the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation and the Athletic & Scholarship Programs Division to lead annual and capital fundraising efforts supporting Navy Athletics.
He is a member of the Athletic Director’s executive staff and serves as the sport administrator for men’s tennis, men’s heavyweight and lightweight rowing, and women’s rowing.
Prior to Navy, Paulus served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Development at Ole Miss.
In that capacity, he was responsible for raising major gifts for Ole Miss Athletics and the Forward Together campaign, a $200 million capital initiative that resulted in a new basketball arena, expansion to the football stadium, and renovations and improvements benefiting all Olympic sports facilities.
At Ole Miss from 2015-2018, Paulus was part of a development team that produced several of the top fundraising years in Ole Miss Athletics history, including the single best year ever totaling $45.6 million in cash donations.
Paulus joined Ole Miss from Mount St. Mary’s University where he was the Senior Director of Athletic Development.
In his role, he served on both the Vice President of Advancement and Athletic Director’s leadership teams and oversaw all fundraising and development operations for Mount St. Mary’s Athletics from 2013-2015.
Prior to Mount St. Mary’s, he worked at Virginia Commonwealth University as Director of the Ram Athletic Fund where he managed the annual giving program for VCU Athletics.
A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Paulus graduated from the College of William & Mary and was a member of the football team.
He earned his Masters of Education in Sport Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University, an M.B.A. from Mount St. Mary’s, and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration at Ole Miss.”
The William and Mary Sports Blog 
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