Robert C. Vowels, Jr. was named the 14th Director of Athletics at the University of Detroit Mercy on May 28, 2013. In his position, he oversees all 17 men's and women's Division I athletic teams.
Now entering his 10th year in Titan Territory, he is responsible for the total rebranding of the athletic department and has led efforts to upgrade a number of facilities, purchase a new state-of-the art scoreboard for Calihan Hall, add a new academic center, increase fan experience and community engagement. The Titans have also added a mission and vision creed, which focuses on being the best academically and athletically.
Vowels developed a five-year strategic plan with overall goals to:
- Increase resources and revenue
- Build a unified brand
- Invest in the leadership and personal development of the athletic department
- Develop a culture of inclusion and respect
- Improve organizational clarity and structure
- Engage the community
- Create a total fan experience
- Win
- Invigorate alumni and boosters
Detroit Mercy has seen its famed home court receive a number of enhancements through fundraising, including the addition of a new sound system and a state-of-the-art four-sided, high-definition main videoboard/scoreboard with full LED video capabilities.
He also led the fundraising on the brand new Thomas and Arvie McNamara Family Student-Athlete Academic Center, which features the Eli Holman Study Hall, located in Calihan Hall. The new academic center has personal studying areas and multi-media equipment, while also housing the Titan academic and compliance staff. The Titan men’s soccer and softball locker rooms have been renovated and men’s and women’s tennis locker rooms at the Franklin Athletic Club were also constructed. Men’s basketball locker room renovation was completed before the 2017 academic year.
Digital marketing, social media and other digital platforms have increased, all for the enhancement and to heighten the awareness of Titan athletics, while adding to the department’s revenue stream.
He has also focused on developing a community engagement plan. The goal is to engage the community in a meaningful and impactful way. There are over 44,000 residents living near the campus and there has been a renewed emphasis to reach out to the neighborhood captains and homeowner associations and strengthen the connection with the community through families and youth, community organizations, schools and businesses.
Part of the increased revenues have been the product to fully monetize exclusive rights in athletics, hosting outside events in Calihan Hall, and identifying new corporate sponsorships and partnerships. Since 2013-14 corporate partnership revenue has increased 345%.
The Titan Athletic Club/CAL Club is the official booster organization for the more than 300 student-athletes at the University of Detroit Mercy. Annual giving through the Titan Club/CAL Club has increased 31% and membership has increased 20% since 2014. He also negotiated a seven-year shoe and apparel agreement with Adidas for the department of athletics and then a new deal with BSN Sports and Nike in 2022.
One of his first goals was to take the multi-media rights and bring them back in-house and push Titan basketball back to the main stage and he did this by returning men's basketball games to the radio airwaves for the first time in six years.
Detroit Mercy has also seen an increased presence in a number of ESPN-televised games – both home and away - in all sports. More than 90.0% of the Titan home games for men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, softball and men's and women's lacrosse have been broadcasted.
Since he arrived on campus, he has been part of the Horizon League Board of Directors and was the Chair of the Athletic Directors and Executive Council from 2013-15. He is also the current chair of the Horizon League Finance Committee, the Horizon League Governance Committee, the Ad Hoc Governance Committee, a member of the Competition Advisory Committee and is the Sports Committee Administrative Liaison for men’s basketball.
Prior to his hiring at Detroit Mercy, Vowels served as the NCAA Vice President of Membership and Student-Athlete Affairs. Possessing more than 27 years of intercollegiate athletics experience, Vowels was the Vice President of Membership and Student-Athlete Affairs at the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), where he oversaw educational programs designed to improve student-athlete wellbeing, leadership development and inclusion. At the NCAA, he led a department of 26 NCAA staff members and oversaw a budget of $17 million.
Prior to the position at the NCAA, Vowels served as the Commissioner of two intercollegiate athletic conferences at Division I (Southwestern Athletic Conference) and Division II (Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) programs. Some of the accomplishments during his years as a Conference Commissioner included league expansion and television packages. He also worked as an Associate Commissioner at the Big Ten Conference and Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance at Vanderbilt University.
While at the SWAC, Vowels revised the conference's strategic plan, compliance programs, championships and corporate alliance programs to make them more efficient and effective. In 2004-05 he also negotiated a multi-year media agreement with ESPN/ESPNU on behalf of the SWAC. He worked with ESPN and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) to develop the concept of the initial MEAC-SWAC Challenge.
During his time at SIAC, Vowels oversaw the expansion of the conference to 11 institutions and negotiated the first multi-year SIAC football and basketball television agreement with Urban Sports and Entertainment. He also negotiated the league's first licensing and agreement program and developed the conference's first corporate partnership program.
Vowels also served on the Division I Management Council, Division I Men's Basketball Committee, Division I Football Board of Directors and the Collegiate Commissioner's Association (CCA). He also served as Chair of the Minorities Opportunities and Interest Committee (MOIC).
He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina where he was a full scholarship football student-athlete and his Juris Doctorate from the North Carolina Central University School of Law. He is married to the former Cheryl Lewis and the couple has two children Robbie and Devin.
