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Rhode Island native Gregg Burke begins his fifth year at the University of Rhode Island in 2008-09. Most recently, he served in the role of URI's acting and interim director of athletics, from May, 2006-August, 2007. Burke came to the University in September of 2004 as Deputy Director of Athletics. In this role, he served as chief operating officer of the department with special oversight of men's and women's basketball, men's golf, and all external relations of operations. Prior to his arrival in Kingston, Burke had founded his own consulting firm, in 2001, which included client work in golf, event management, media relations, fundraising and business development. Before that, in 1999, Burke joined a group of nationally respected basketball administrators in launching the International Basketball League. As Vice-President of the league, he played an integral role in developing the business plan, marketing organization, and public relations strategy while directing the special events, public relations, corporate sales, licensing, and merchandising staffs. In 1987, Burke was hired at Providence College as assistant director of athletics. He was promoted later to associate athletic director in charge of administrative and external relations efforts where he initiated and developed the corporate partnership program, the campus-wide licensing program, and managed the tickets operations, media relations, marketing, promotions, development, advertising, and licensing staffs. He was responsible for all broadcast contracts, basketball game management, basketball scheduling, and special events. He was named sports information director at Holy Cross in 1982. He went on to engineer the Heisman Trophy campaign of Gordie Lockbaum who is still the only non-Division I player to finish in the top five in Heisman Trophy balloting and one of just a handful of athletes to ever finish in the top five twice. Prior to his work at Holy Cross, Burke was the assistant director of sports information at the University of Michigan where he worked with the men's basketball and football programs in 1981 and 1982. He began his career as a graduate assistant in the Boston College Athletics Department in 1980. Burke was the Tournament Manager for the 1989 and 1996 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in Providence and the 1995 and 2000 NCAA Hockey Championship in Providence. He also served United States Olympic Committee appointments to the 1987 and 1990 Olympic Festivals and to the 1991 Pan American Games. He has served on numerous campus, Big East, and ECAC committees He was selected and trained by the NCAA as a Peer Reviewer in its Athletic Certification program. During his nearly quarter century work with the Academic All-America Awards Program he has held a number of key positions including time as National Chairman (1989-94). He was one of the two founding fathers of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame and still serves as a voting member. He has served on the board of a number of community organizations including Rhode Island Special Olympics, Rhode Island ALS, and the Holy Cross Club of Rhode Island. Along the way he has been honored by a number of organizations for his work in athletics and in the community. He is the recipient of the 2002 Amby Smith Award for Contribution to Sport in Rhode Island, the 2000 Scoop Hudgins Lifetime Achievement Award for Contribution to College Football, and the 1999 Providence College Sixth Man Award for contribution to Friar Basketball. In 1994 he was honored with the first-ever Lester Jordan Award for service to the Academic All-America Program and the Student-Athlete Ideal. He has earned 10 Best in the Nation Writing and Publication Awards from the College Sports Information Directors of America. Burke graduated from Holy Cross in 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. He earned a Master of Education from Providence College in 1998. He is married to ABC Sports and ESPN basketball analyst Doris Burke. The couple resides in North Providence with their children Sarah and Matthew. updated: 7/8/08 |
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