DAPHNE, Ala. – Veteran college football administrator and United States Sports Academy alumnus Mike Vollmar has been named the senior associate athletic director for football administration at Kansas University.
Vollmar has more than three decades of college football administration experience at the highest levels as part of some of the sport’s most storied programs at the University of Alabama, the University of Tennessee, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University. He has been part of teams that went to 20 bowl games, won a national championship and won four conference titles.
Vollmar earned his Master of Sports degree in sports management in 1989 from the Academy and was selected as the institution’s 2010 Alumnus of the Year. He is also a member of the Academy’s Alumni Board. A native of Riverview, Mich., Vollmar earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich.
“When I was coming out of college there were not a whole lot of institutions that offered a graduate degree in sport,” Vollmar said. “The Academy not only gave me classroom experience with experts in the industry, but it allowed me to get into the field through internships immediately.
“I have always said the great thing about the Academy is that it allowed me to grow in real time, not just classroom time. I was earning my degree while I was securing entry positions in the athletic industry. There is no substitute for that, period.
“I have been fortunate to have worked at some of the finest Division 1 institutions in the country for 30 years,” Vollmar said. “However, I don’t believe that you ever stop learning or growing in the profession. You have to continue to evolve. When you work in athletic departments of this size, you are surrounded by a lot of talented coaches, athletic administrators and athletic directors. Those individuals prepare and shape you as you move forward.
“College athletics – and football – are constantly evolving and you have to try to stay ahead of the game. You’re also communicating and assessing anyone or anything who touches the program both internally and externally. Your biggest role is to support coaches in providing a positive successful student-athlete experience.
“You have to look at the big picture and help prepare the program strategically for the future,” Vollmar said.
At Kansas, Vollmar oversees the daily operation and administration of Kansas Jayhawk football. The program is coming off a 31-7 win at Central Michigan on 8 September and hosts the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on 15 September.
Vollmar came to Kansas after serving as the director of football at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where he oversaw all aspects of the institution’s football program including its boarding school, camps, team training and events. Prior to his work at IMG, Vollmar spent four years as the senior associate athletic director at Tennessee, where he was a member of the Volunteer executive staff and oversaw the football program.
At Alabama, Vollmar worked from 2008-2010 as the associate athletic director for football and was part of the team that won the 2009 BCS National Championship and Southeastern Conference (SEC) title, going 36-5 in three seasons. At Michigan from 2011 to 2012 Vollmar was the associate athletic director for football and was involved in the planning and design of a $9 million renovation to Schembechler Hall, home to the university’s football training facilities and football museum. At Michigan State, Vollmar was an assistant athletic director and director of football operations from 1996 to 2007. He also worked in football administration at Syracuse University from 1991 to 1995 and had a prior stint at Michigan, where he assisted in football administration and served as the assistant recruiting coordinator from 1988 to 1990.
In addition to his administrative experience, Vollmar has served on the College Football Playoff Advisory Committee since 2014 and is a trustee on the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) National Committee for Directors of Football Administration. He also served as a member of the Rose Bowl Advisory Committee from 2009 to 2017.
The United States Sports Academy is an independent, non-profit, accredited, special mission sports university created to serve the nation and world with programs in instruction, research and service. The role of the Academy is to prepare men and women for careers in the profession of sports.
The Academy is based in Daphne, Ala. For more information, call (251) 626-3303 or visit www.ussa.edu.
