Providence College Athletics
Bob Driscoll Earns Div. 1 AAA Athletic Directors Association 2020 Builders' Award
4/28/2020 11:32:00 AM | Athletic Department
Driscoll has transformed the Friar Athletic Department over the last two decades.
The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) is proud to announce Providence College Director of Athletics Bob Driscoll as the 2020 Builders' Award honoree.
"Bob Driscoll is a transformational leader who has accomplished numerous accolades during his prestigious career," stated Builders' Award Committee Chair and Director of Athletics at Niagara University, Simon Gray. "In almost 20 years at Providence College, he has elevated the Friars into a national championship-caliber athletics department while always focusing on student-athlete development. A former Athletics Director of the Year winner and DI-AAA ADA Past President, he has loyally served our Association with honor. We are proud to present Bob Driscoll with the 2020 DI-AAA ADA Builders' Award."
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Driscoll has transformed and reinvigorated Providence College's athletics program over his two-decade tenure. He has established a vision of student-athlete success in the classroom and in the community while competing for championships. He maintains focus on leading, fostering and mentoring. Over the past seven years, Driscoll has been the architect of one of the most successful eras in the history of PC athletics.
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"I want to thank the DI-AAA ADA Builders' Award Committee and all the DI-AAA athletics directors for granting me this honor," Driscoll said. "While we are all in the midst of some very difficult times, it is nice to be able to pause and appreciate some of the wonderful things that we do have in our lives. It is these things that help to keep me motivated and why so many of us love our jobs in collegiate athletics. At Providence College, we have worked hard to build a student-athlete centered culture and vision. It is through that vision that we have been able to generate so many wonderful relationships and experiences. Thus, we will move on despite these difficult circumstances and continue to help create champion citizens, scholars, and athletes who will positively impact the world around them. Lastly, I would be remiss if I did not mention my appreciation for all the administrators, coaches, colleagues, family, friends and, last, but not least, student-athletes, who have helped us create such a special environment at Providence College."  Â
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One of the biggest impacts Driscoll has had on Providence College has been with facility development. Construction was completed in the fall of 2015 to build Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium, where soccer and lacrosse play, as well as a new softball field and tennis courts. In August 2018, construction was completed on the $35 million Ruane Friar Development Center a men's basketball training and recruiting facility. The 58,218 square foot Friar Ruane Development Center also houses the athletic department's Innovation Lab – a state-of-the-art facility that is available to each of the 350+ NCAA Division I student-athletes. Kicking off his vision for the improved athletics facilities footprint at PC, the Concannon Fitness Center, opened in 2007, adjacent to Lennon Family Field (Astroturf facility), which was completed in 2005.Â
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The Friars also have excelled in the classroom, combining for an average GPA of 3.22. After a school-record, six programs received Public Recognition Awards in 2014 as part of the NCAA APR program, three Friar teams earned the honor in 2015 and two teams in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, five programs earned recognition awards. Providence College student-athletes are also very active in the local community. In 2019-20, the Friars combined for 3,547 hours of community service, raising $49,500 for various charities. Over the past three years, these student-athletes have raised $109,214 and they were a runner-up for the 2018 NACDA Community Service Award.
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Driscoll was recognized as the Under Armour DI-AAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2016, after previously being named the 2007-08 Astro Turf Athletics Director of the Year for the Division I Northeast Region.
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Before arriving at Providence College, Driscoll served at the University of California-Berkeley for 14 years and was the Mills College Athletics Director for seven years. Driscoll started his career at Union College as an assistant athletics director and a baseball/hockey coach.Â
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