Mobile menu icon
Mobile menu icon
Share Your Story

  • Welcome Home: New Baylor AD brings business, athletics background back to BU

    // Posted In Alumni, Athletics

    Doug McNamee speaking on stage at Monday's event

    It’s almost like Doug McNamee’s whole life was geared toward this moment.

    A Baylor Bear, through and through. Experience working at every level of Baylor Athletics, and in the corporate sector (with a special focus on business and branding). It all adds up to what you see in Baylor’s new Director of Athletics, Doug McNamee (BA ’03, MSED ’05).

    McNamee was officially introduced Monday afternoon before a packed house at the Hurd Welcome Center, complete with a celebratory Dr Pepper Hour, on-stage Q&A with President Linda Livingstone, and media press conference. As he shared his vision for Baylor Athletics amidst the changing college athletics landscape, his diverse experiences and green-and-gold foundation shone through: “I grew up, and Baylor was where I was going… I’m one of y’all.”

    And he is: A two-time Baylor graduate (and third-generation Bear), McNamee also met his wife at Baylor, proposed on the field at Floyd Casey Stadium, got married on campus in Miller Chapel, and then spent nearly a decade working in Baylor Athletics. As a student at Baylor, McNamee worked as a manager for men’s basketball and graduate assistant for baseball and student-athlete services. He continued with Baylor Athletics after graduation, working in such diverse areas as fundraising, marketing, communications, and premium ticketing.

    He eventually rose to significant leadership roles at Baylor IMG (then BU’s multimedia rights holder) and the Bear Foundation before being named Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs. During this time, he helped the Bear Foundation fully fund all athletic scholarships for the first time, supported the planning and opening of McLane Stadium, and played a key role in the hiring of former head football coach Matt Rhule.

    In 2018, he left Baylor to work for longtime friends Chip and Joanna Gaines, as president of Magnolia. There, McNamee helped the company grow from a Central Texas small business to an internationally recognized name, all while maintaining the home-based and distinctly Wacoan feel of the brand. After that, he moved to lead brand revitalization efforts at Field & Stream, partnering with country music superstars Eric Church and Morgan Wallen to launch a new era for the historic brand.

    [WATCH: Q&A with McNamee & President Livingstone || Introductory press conference]

    All that experience, across athletics and business, combined to create the perfect candidate to lead Baylor Athletics in this new collegiate era of NIL and revenue sharing. Talk to anyone who has known or worked with McNamee (or who was at Monday’s introductory event), and the fit is clear.

    “I want to win. I’m competitive,” McNamee said Monday. “If we’re gonna compete in a sport, we’re interested in winning in the sport. So we will do whatever it takes, as long as we do it in light of the mission we have as a university. I think our faith is our most genuine, authentic competitive advantage, providing our student-athletes an opportunity that can’t be matched.

    “I’m eager to give back to the university that’s done so much for me. I’m one of y’all; it’s such an honor to be home. I have one clear objective: To serve this university well.”

    Sic ’em, Doug McNamee!