BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Today we continue the 2020-21 season of Samford Sports Wrap Up, Presented by Alabama Power, a series highlighting Samford's coaches and staff throughout the academic year. Today's 10th edition will feature Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator Michelle Durban.
 
Durban is in her 17^th year in the Samford Athletics Department. She oversees many areas of the department, and she talked about some of what her job entails.
 
"I have sport oversight of 10 of our sports," Durban said. "I've got the six sports with Rod Tiffin, so track and field (indoor and outdoor, men's and women's) and cross country (men's and women's), and then I have women's basketball, soccer, volleyball and golf. So, I have all of those fine coaches that report in to me, as well as any of our student-athlete well-being, which is compliance, academics and of course our sports performance, which we are dealing with quite a lot right now."


 
Durban came to Samford in 2004 as the school's head volleyball coach. After four seasons as the head volleyball coach, she transitioned into the administrative side of the department. She said she always saw herself moving to administration, but maybe not as quickly as it happened.
 
"I think, down the road I thought it might happen, maybe more of a 10-15 year plan once I was finished with the coaching bug," Durban said. "But I took over the SWA roll two years into my coaching duties and then I had to make a decision. When we moved to the SoCon is what kind of drew the line in the sand, and then I went ahead and went to the administrative route."
 
Durban said having coaching experience was beneficial when she transitioned to administration.
 
"I think it helps a lot when dealing with the coaches for sure, because they know that I've been there, done that," Durban said. "And then being a former student-athlete, but also a coach, I can kind of talk to some of our student-athletes about issues that they might be having, and I think that that kind of gives me a unique perspective on the administrative side of things."
 
In addition to her duties at Samford, Durban serves on the Division I Volleyball Committee. She talked a little about how the opportunity came about and what her duties are on the committee.
 
"You're nominated by your conference," Durban said. "So, the SoCon, with my background in coaching, definitely has kept putting me up for it. There are only 10 people from D-1 that are put on it, so it's a process just to get on it. Last year, I was the D-1 Chair, thankfully I am not this year, so I'm not having to answer quite as many questions, especially with the pandemic. It's been a unique experience, especially with what we are dealing with right now and trying to figure out how the tournaments will run in the spring."
 
Durban talked about what the season for volleyball might look like during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
"Right now, we have four conferences in the country that are playing," Durban said. "So, we have the Sun Belt, ACC, Big 12 and the SEC that will start shortly. And then we have some schools that are doing one-offs. So, we are still watching volleyball right now and trying to hopefully remember this come selection weekend in April, which will be Easter weekend. We are still trying to figure out exactly if it will be a bubble, if it will look similar to what we've done in the past or exactly what the NCAA will come up with. All we know right now is that there will only be 48 teams, instead of the normal 64 teams."
 
She also gave an update on how Samford Athletics is doing in regards to COVID-19.
 
"I think right now we've seen a little bit of a spike, but I think the whole university has seen a spike," Durban said. "It's a little roller coaster-esque. One week it's really good and then the next week it's like, where did all of these people come from? I think, for the majority of it, our student-athletes know that it's definitely out there, and they've done a good job for the most part of wearing their masks and doing what we've been asking."
 
Durban talked about some of the changes she's seen in her 16-plus years at Samford.
 
"The biggest changes are the facilities, because when I first got here, our coaches were kind of all over the place," Durban said. "There wasn't a centralized location, and I think that really helps our department and the culture where, for the most part, everybody's in one building or they're in here enough. I think that is a big plus for us, but I just think that moving to the SoCon from the OVC helped because we had a lot of like institutions, in addition to the success that we've had. We've won, I've lost count of how many conference championships, and then Karisa Nelson winning the national championship, we've had success in the NCAA Baseball Tournament with advancing, so I just think that, overall, our student-athletes have improved, but I think our facility improvement also helps."