Providence College Athletics
Providence College Athletics Director Bob Driscoll Receives Honor
6/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
June 9, 2008
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - It was announced today that Providence College's Bob Driscoll has been named 2007-08 Astro Turf Athletics Director of the Year for the Division I Northeast Region. Driscoll will receive the award on Tuesday, June 10 at the James J. Corbett Awards Luncheon at the 43rd National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Annual Convention in Dallas, Texas. Driscoll is just one of four athletics directors to receive a Division I regional award. NACDA has been presenting these awards for 10 years. It marks the first time an athletics director from Providence College has earned the honor.
"It is a great honor to be recognized as one of the Astro Turf Athletics Director of Year Regional winners," Driscoll said. "It would not have been possible for me to receive this award without the tremendous support of the College and its President Reverend Brian Shanley, O.P. Also, all the coaches and staff at Providence College are the people who really help me do my job."
Since Driscoll was hired as the Associate Vice President for Athletics on November 2, 2001, Providence College Athletics has experienced unprecedented growth in academic and athletic performance, fundraising, facilities, and community involvement. Driscoll has reinvigorated the Providence College Athletics program, leading the charge to create one of the most respected programs in the nation, where each student-athlete graduates and has the opportunity to compete for championships.
"I am proud of Bob Driscoll's accomplishments at Providence College," Reverend Brian Shanley said. "He is an inspirational leader who represents the College with dignity and passion. I have complete trust in his judgment, his integrity, and his vision."
The 2007-08 season proved to be a banner year for Friar athletics. In August of 2007, The Concannon Fitness Center, a state-of-the-art $15 million facility, was opened. The Concannon Fitness Center is adjacent to the recently completed Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. It houses the Friars' varsity weight room as well as administrative and coaching offices, conference rooms, and locker rooms. The construction project also provides the department with a state-of-the-art sports medicine complex and a new ticket office. The Canavan Sports Medicine Facility, which will be completed in July of 2008, is equipped with a hydrotherapy room which will include a SwimEx rehab pool and two plunges for cold/hot therapy.
Many of these improvements were made possible through Driscoll's fundraising efforts. In each of the seven years that Driscoll has led the Friars, the athletic department has reached a new fundraising goal, including 2008 when he helped spearhead a record of $2.3 million.
During the 2007-08 season, three Friar teams qualified for NCAA post-season competition. The men's and women's cross country teams each qualified for the NCAA Championship, while the men's soccer team earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. In addition, there were several athletes who qualified to compete at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Track Championships. The field hockey team advanced to the BIG EAST Championship game for the second-straight season, while the lacrosse squad captured its fourth MAAC regular season title in the last six years. The softball team garnered a BIG EAST Championship berth for the second time in three years.
Three Friars earned All-America honors in 2007-08. Danette Doetzel (cross country), Ahmed Haji (cross country), and Ben Johnston (lacrosse) were all named All-Americans.
Driscoll's leadership has been instrumental in several major construction projects on campus. Along with the construction of The Concannon Fitness Center during the 2006-07 academic year, two major renovations to Schneider Arena also were completed. All of the arena's 3,030 seats were replaced with silver and black seats to support the branding of the program. The women's hockey program received a new locker room, player's lounge, and a training room.
In August of 2005, Providence celebrated the opening of the Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex, which is a six-million dollar artificial turf facility. The complex serves as home to PC's field hockey and lacrosse programs, as well as many of the College's intramural sports programs.
The construction continues beyond the friendly confines of the College. Driscoll has worked strategically with lead officials in the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island to help spearhead a $75-million renovation of the Dunkin' Donuts Center, which is home to the Friar men's basketball team. Renovations began in the spring of 2006 and are scheduled to be completed in 2008. Once complete, the Dunkin' Donuts Center also will be a state-of-the-art facility that will seat more than 13,000 fans. Renovations will enhance the PC fan/team experience by adding luxury boxes, new seats, a new video scoreboard, a new sound system, updated concession stands, locker rooms, and new weight training and fitness areas. The planned renovations already have reaped benefits for the College, the City of Providence and the State of Rhode Island as Providence was awarded the first and second rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
Driscoll is one of 49 athletic administrators, faculty athletics representatives and institutional administrators currently serving a term on the NCAA Division I Management Council, which is empowered to make recommendations to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors. He was appointed to the council in May of 2004. Driscoll also represents the BIG EAST's Athletic Directors on the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, and serves on the HOCKEY EAST Television Negotiations Committee. He is a member-elect of the NCAA Ice Hockey Championship Committee.
Driscoll joined the Providence community after 14 years in athletic administration at the University of California, Berkeley. At Cal, Driscoll served as the director of athletic administration and was responsible for the day to day operations of the department as well as overseeing football, men's basketball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's water polo, rugby, strength training, equipment, and sports medicine programs.
Driscoll was hired at Cal as the associate athletic director for student services, a position he held for five years. He managed areas such as recruiting, admissions, financial aid, and team travel for football and basketball. He then assumed the position of executive associate athletic director, at which point he was responsible for the administration of 27 varsity sports. During his tenure at Cal, he also oversaw 25 club sports, a staff of 250, and a $36 million budget. Prior to coming to Providence, he served as the acting executive director for intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports. During his tenure, Cal won over 20 national championships, competed in the Citrus, Copper, Alamo, and Aloha Bowls, NCAA Basketball Tournaments, and the College World Series for baseball and softball. The Bears also finished as high as 12th in the NACDA Directors' Cup.
Before arriving at Cal, Driscoll served six years (1981-87) as the athletic director and chair of the Department of Physical Education, Recreation and Intramural Sports at Mills College in Oakland, Calif. Prior to arriving at Mills, Driscoll was assistant athletic director and head baseball and hockey coach at Union College in Schenectady, N.Y. from 1977-81. At Union, he was responsible for 22 men's and women's intercollegiate sports teams, including nationally ranked football and hockey teams. Driscoll was a stand-out hockey and baseball player at Ithaca College (N.Y.), where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education in 1974. He earned his Master's of Science in physical education/psychology of sports from Ithaca in 1975.
A native of Concord, Mass., Driscoll was inducted into the inaugural class of Concord Carlisle High School's Athletic Hall of Fame (football, ice hockey, and baseball) in 1993. He is the proud father of three children: Tara, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley; Kelly, a graduate of the University of Michigan; and Sean, currently a senior at Providence. He and his wife Cathy reside in North Kingstown.
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