April 27, 2006
ORLANDO - Keith Tribble, who has overseen four national championship games as chief executive officer of the Orange Bowl Committee, was named athletics director at the University of Central Florida on Thursday, President John Hitt announced.
"Keith is a proven leader in collegiate athletics who has helped build some of its most successful programs while stressing the importance of academics and integrity," Hitt said. "His intimate knowledge of the NCAA and experience managing one of college sports' premier bowl games make him the ideal person to lead UCF's growing athletics program."
At UCF, Tribble will direct an intercollegiate athletics department that includes nearly 600 student-athletes in 17 varsity sports, more than 150 coaches and other staff, and a $22 million budget. Tribble also will help guide the construction and operation of a 45,000-seat on-campus football stadium and a 10,000-seat convocation center scheduled to open in fall 2007. He will start June 5.
Since 1993, Tribble, 50, has served as chief executive officer of the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, where he directs daily operations and is responsible for promotion, marketing and production of nearly 75 events, including the FedEx Orange Bowl. Tribble, who manages all business affairs for the Orange Bowl and a $35 million operating and reserve budget, also is responsible for negotiating contracts with corporate partners, radio and television, stadiums and other game-related entities.
In the past several years, Tribble has been named among the "Most Influential Minorities in Sports" by Sports Illustrated and one of the "Most Powerful Blacks in Sports" by Black Enterprise magazine.
Before joining the Orange Bowl, Tribble was the senior associate athletics director from 1992 to 1993 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he managed daily operations of the athletics department and directed football, men's and women's basketball, athletic development and baseball. He also developed construction plans for an $8.5 million athletics complex and a $1.4 million baseball stadium.
Previously, Tribble served as executive director of Sunshine Festival Football in Fort Lauderdale from 1990 to 1992 and as director of event management for Raycom Management Group in Charlotte, N.C., from 1989 to 1990.
Tribble started his athletics career in 1981 at the University of Florida, where he was assistant athletics director for spring sports and later associate athletics director. He received his bachelor's degree in public relations and marketing at UF, where he also played offensive guard for four bowl teams.
Steve Orsini, who has served as UCF's athletics director since 2002, has taken the same position at Southern Methodist University, effective June 1.