Sam Bates is a former UCF student-athlete who started as a ticket sales representative in 2017 and was quickly promoted to his current role as account executive. He is responsible for establishing and developing relationships with UCF ticket members, alumni and guests to maximize revenue across all eight ticketed Division I sport programs.
In May 2024, he was part of the tickets team to be recognized as a finalist for the inaugural National Association of Athletic Ticket Sales and Operations Ticket Team of the Year award.
Bates grew up attending UCF baseball games with his alumni parents and later walked on to the nationally ranked squad while he earned his bachelor’s degree with cum laude honors in interdisciplinary studies. An award-winning story about Bates and his mother was written in 2015. He went on to earn an MBA from LSU Shreveport in 2021.