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Rick Dickson Director of Athletics
Dickson was the recipient of the 2004 Award for Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, for his leadership in guiding Tulane Athletics through the difficult time of the university's Board review. In 2006, he was awarded the United States Sports Academy Distinguished Service Award, for skillfully directing the department through the unprecedented adversity of Hurricane Katrina, the worst natural disaster in United States history. His swift and decisive response to these challenges saved Tulane Athletics, allowing TU's student-athletes and staff to continue to represent Tulane as one of the nation's premier universities and athletics programs. During the 2005-06 campaign, Dickson kept Tulane Athletics teams viable by first overseeing the evacuation of student-athletes from New Orleans in advance of Hurricane Katrina, and then providing opportunities for the Green Wave's teams to continue competing while dispersed to four campuses in Louisiana and Texas. Working with no home facilities, a depleted budget, and Tulane University shut down for the fall, Tulane Athletics was charged to "Carry the Torch, Be the Face and Represent the Name" not only of Tulane University but New Orleans and the entire Gulf region. In 2006-07, Dickson oversaw Tulane's plan to return to a full-time Division I status, with the full compliment of the required 16 athletics teams scheduled to come on line over the next three years. Dickson took great satisfaction in the reinstatement plan adopted by the Tulane Board of Administrators restarting many of the sports programs suspended as a consequence of Hurricane Katrina. Dickson and NCAA President Myles Brand were among the many to praise Tulane's student-athletes and staff for their strong academic performance despite Hurricane Katrina. In the fourth year of the NCAA's Academic Performance Rates (APR), all eight of Tulane's current varsity sports teams scored well above their national averages, marking the third straight year that TU's student-athletes had performed above the national average in the classroom for their respective sports. Each year of Dickson's tenure Tulane student-athletes have achieved the highest levels in the classroom - compiling semester grade point average of 3.0 and ranking among the NCAA leaders in graduation rates - while excelling on the field; Tulane remains among the C-USA leaders in conference titles and NCAA appearances. In 2003, Dickson assumed the task of building a permanent foundation of support for Tulane Athletics through the Perpetual Wave Campaign. The $65 million campaign was initiated in 2003 following a Board review, which resulted in a unanimous resolution reaffirming the institution's NCAA status. During the review, Dickson guided the department through an intense campaign that saw football season ticket sales more than double, as well as securing funding for the new baseball stadium and numerous other facilities and program updates. Dickson's efforts to grow the fan base and establish a plan for long-term financial stability comes on the heels of some of the most successful athletics seasons in school history. Under Dickson's watch, Tulane teams have won 18 Conference USA Championships and advanced to NCAA postseason play 27 times, including the 2001 and 2005 College World Series. Dickson's innovative scheduling strategy resulted in some of the best-attended events ever at the school, highlighted by the three-game 2001 Super Regional series at Zephyr Field that attracted more than 35,000 fans. In 2002, he scheduled a national record breaking regular season baseball game vs. LSU (28,736-since broken). Football games with teams such as Alabama, Mississippi State and Texas have attracted regional and national attention. The renewal of the 95-year-old rivalry with LSU continues in Baton Rouge this fall with the third contest of a 10 year home-and-home series. Under Dickson, Tulane continues to upgrade its facilities. The recently completed Greer Field at Turchin Baseball Stadium is the new crown jewel of the Tulane campus, and the newly renovated and resurfaced Goldring Tennis Complex awaits the returning women's tennis program. Improvements to Fogelman Arena are ongoing, and a new field surface and track for the Westfeldt Practice & Competition Facility was recently installed. Dickson has hired and retained successful coaches, bringing in Bob Toledo (football), Dave Dickerson (men's basketball), Liz Kritza (volleyball) and Heather Van Norman (track & field) and essentially retaining successful coaches Lisa Stockton (women's basketball) and Rick Jones (baseball) with long-term contract extensions. Dickson took the first step in the rebuilding of Tulane's sports programs when he hired head coaches J.T. Horton (women's golf) and Terri Sisk (women's tennis) last summer and this fall, new coaches for women's swimming and men's tennis will join the coaching line-up. A native of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dickson came to Tulane from Washington State, where he served as athletics director from 1994-2000. At Washington State, Dickson oversaw an athletics program that was recognized nationally for its success in dealing with gender equity issues. He raised funds for a capital campaign for scholarships and endowments, an indoor practice facility, and the renovation of Bohler Gymnasium. Washington State enjoyed on-the-field success during his tenure, highlighted by the football team's first Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years in 1998. Prior to that, he spent six years as athletic director at his alma mater, The University of Tulsa, where he was instrumental in forming a football scheduling alliance that evolved into Conference USA, and the expansion of the Western Athletic Conference. Dickson and his wife, Brenda, are the parents of three daughters and a son. Kari, Kasi and Kelli, a four-year letter winner in volleyball for the Green Wave, are all Tulane graduates. Doug is currently an undergraduate student at Tulane, and Kari is a recent graduate of Tulane's Law School.
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