NEW YORK – Rocky Harris, Chief Operating Officer for Sun Devil Athletics, was named to SportsBusiness Journal's 2017 Forty Under 40 list of top sports executives, the publication announced Monday.
"I could not be more proud to have such an exemplary colleague represent Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics," Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said. "It is evident to us at ASU that Rocky possesses the skills to make him one of the top administrators in collegiate athletics. I am very pleased to see the editors of SportsBusiness Journal acknowledge his strategic business expertise and his role in the execution of our vision within Sun Devil Athletics."
Harris joined Arizona State, his alma mater, in 2012 and has elevated the department's business acumen and accelerated growth in fundraising, facility development, and external relations. As Chief Operating Officer, Harris directs the overall strategic planning, implementation, administration and day-to-day operations of Sun Devil Athletics, supervises multiple sports, and manages a wide range of institutional initiatives on behalf of the Athletics Director.
"I am fortunate to work at the most innovative university, for a visionary athletics director, and alongside the best coaches and staff in sports," Harris said. "This recognition from SBJ helps reinforce my belief in developing new models for reaching unprecedented outcomes rather than merely replicating what already exists. I am extremely humbled and honored to be acknowledged, alongside such outstanding sports professionals."
Under Harris' leadership, Sun Devil Club membership has more than doubled from 7,800 members to nearly 17,000 members and philanthropic giving has dramatically increased with a total of $165M raised over the past four years, surpassing the previous four-year benchmark of $35M. Harris has worked extensively on the reinvention of Sun Devil Stadium and the advancement and planning of the Athletics Facilities District. To fulfill Anderson's vision of expanding sport offerings at ASU, Harris and the business staff created a comprehensive plan and process, including scholarship equity, financial implications, facility and staffing needs, and a timeline of implementation, leading to the addition of four new sports.
Harris is currently teaching a graduate-level course for ASU's Sports Law and Business program while pursuing his Ph.D. in Community Resources and Development. Prior to his role at ASU, Harris served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo and AEG Global Partnerships, Director of Sports and Marketing Sponsorships at Reliant Energy, an NRG Energy, Inc. Fortune 500 company, Director of Communication with the Houston Texans and Media Relations Coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Forty Under 40 Awards program was initiated in 1999 to identify and honor the most promising young executives in sports business under the age of 40. A committee of SportsBusiness Daily/Global/Journal editors and writers select the 40 executives from among hundreds of nominations received each year. Read a full list of the 2017 SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 class.
"I could not be more proud to have such an exemplary colleague represent Arizona State University and Sun Devil Athletics," Vice President for University Athletics Ray Anderson said. "It is evident to us at ASU that Rocky possesses the skills to make him one of the top administrators in collegiate athletics. I am very pleased to see the editors of SportsBusiness Journal acknowledge his strategic business expertise and his role in the execution of our vision within Sun Devil Athletics."
Harris joined Arizona State, his alma mater, in 2012 and has elevated the department's business acumen and accelerated growth in fundraising, facility development, and external relations. As Chief Operating Officer, Harris directs the overall strategic planning, implementation, administration and day-to-day operations of Sun Devil Athletics, supervises multiple sports, and manages a wide range of institutional initiatives on behalf of the Athletics Director.
"I am fortunate to work at the most innovative university, for a visionary athletics director, and alongside the best coaches and staff in sports," Harris said. "This recognition from SBJ helps reinforce my belief in developing new models for reaching unprecedented outcomes rather than merely replicating what already exists. I am extremely humbled and honored to be acknowledged, alongside such outstanding sports professionals."
Under Harris' leadership, Sun Devil Club membership has more than doubled from 7,800 members to nearly 17,000 members and philanthropic giving has dramatically increased with a total of $165M raised over the past four years, surpassing the previous four-year benchmark of $35M. Harris has worked extensively on the reinvention of Sun Devil Stadium and the advancement and planning of the Athletics Facilities District. To fulfill Anderson's vision of expanding sport offerings at ASU, Harris and the business staff created a comprehensive plan and process, including scholarship equity, financial implications, facility and staffing needs, and a timeline of implementation, leading to the addition of four new sports.
Harris is currently teaching a graduate-level course for ASU's Sports Law and Business program while pursuing his Ph.D. in Community Resources and Development. Prior to his role at ASU, Harris served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Major League Soccer's Houston Dynamo and AEG Global Partnerships, Director of Sports and Marketing Sponsorships at Reliant Energy, an NRG Energy, Inc. Fortune 500 company, Director of Communication with the Houston Texans and Media Relations Coordinator with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Forty Under 40 Awards program was initiated in 1999 to identify and honor the most promising young executives in sports business under the age of 40. A committee of SportsBusiness Daily/Global/Journal editors and writers select the 40 executives from among hundreds of nominations received each year. Read a full list of the 2017 SportsBusiness Journal Forty Under 40 class.