Bob Roller was named Samford[apos]s third full-time athletics director in May 1999 and has overseen one of the most exciting periods of growth in the history of Samford athletics.
In his 11 years at the helm of the athletics department, Roller has led a major facilities upgrade. Additionally, he has overseen the department[apos]s recent move into the prestigious Southern Conference, one of the nation[apos]s oldest conferences. Samford[apos]s student-athletes have also turned in outstanding performances both on the field and in the classroom during Roller[apos]s tenure.
For all of his accomplishments, Roller was named the 2009-10 Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Southeast Region Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
In the 2009-10 school year, Samford won the SoCon[apos]s Germann Cup, which goes to the top women[apos]s sports program in the league. In the same school year, Samford had 11 teams record perfect single-year scores of 1,000 in the NCAA[apos]s APR report. Five of Samford[apos]s teams earned Public Recognition Awards, which go to teams posting multi-year APR scores in the top 10 percent of all squads in their respective sport nationally.
[quote]Bob Roller continues to provide outstanding leadership for our athletics program,[quote] Samford President Dr. Andrew Westmoreland said. [quote]From hiring coaches and other staff members, to monitoring our recruiting efforts, to marketing and management, to donor relationships, to ensuring high academic standards, to casting a larger vision for Samford, Bob excels in each area of significance. In addition, Bob is a valued friend to hundreds of us within the Samford community. He is such a natural fit for Samford that it would be easy to take him for granted. I hope we never do that.[quote]
Roller has also mentored two current Division I athletics directors. Janet Cone, now the athletics director at UNC Asheville and Alan Verlander, who now oversees the Jacksonville athletics department, served as associate athletic directors under Roller at Samford.
Athletics facility upgrades have been swift during Roller[apos]s tenure. The most recent upgrade came with the opening the Cooney Family Field House prior to the start of practice for the 2009 football season. The new field house includes offices for the football coaches, a weight room, locker room, training room, player[apos]s lounge and meeting rooms.
The largest project among the many upgrades was the Pete Hanna Center, which opened in October of 2007. The Hanna Center is the largest building on Samford[apos]s campus and holds 6,000 spectators for graduation or concerts, and 5,000 for sporting events. The home of Bulldog basketball and volleyball, the Hanna Center features a state-of-the-art fitness center for all Samford students, plus offices for the athletics department, aca¬demic center, weight room and training rooms.
Another addition to the Samford athletics facility plan was unveiled in the spring of 2007 with the opening of the Pat M. Courington Tennis Pavilion, which houses the Samford tennis offices and locker rooms, plus three indoor and six outdoor NCAA courts.
In addition to these already-completed projects, a new track/soccer complex will be under construction soon. Also, plans for a new baseball/softball indoor hitting facility and a new softball park are being made.
Early in Roller[apos]s tenure, Samford constructed Joe Lee Griffin Field for baseball in 1999. The 2004 season saw upgrades to the softball complex and a complete renovation of the soccer field with permanent seating for record crowds. Seibert Stadium[apos]s natural grass was replaced with a state-of-the-art LSR Blade Synthetic Surface in 2005 for football.
Prior to its move to the SoCon, Samford spent five years in the Ohio Valley Conference. In its time in the league, Samford won 13 team championships, and Samford women[apos]s teams claimed the Women[apos]s All-Sports Trophy three times (2003-04, 2006-07 and 2007-08). Samford won championships in women[apos]s soccer (four), women[apos]s tennis (four), women[apos]s cross-¬country (two), baseball, men[apos]s golf and men[apos]s tennis.
Roller came to Samford in 1997 to direct the Samford Athletic Foundation. During his first two years, the foundation saw record growth in individual and corporate donations to the university[apos]s athletics programs. Roller held that position until May 1999, when then-President Thomas E. Corts named him to the top position within the athletics department.
In the summer of 2003, Roller was elected to the prestigious executive committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics [NACDA] to serve a four-year term. He joined ¬athletics directors from Kansas State, Stanford, Army and Clemson on the governing committee that oversees the activities of the 6,000-plus member organization.
In 2006, Roller was named national chairman of the United States Sports Academy Directors[apos] Cup Committee for NACDA. The Directors[apos] Cup is awarded to the top uni¬versities in NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA for overall athletics success throughout the inter¬collegiate season.
Before his arrival at Samford, Roller was vice president of AdCraft Sports Marketing in Louisville, Ky., for seven years. During that time, he helped create the Sears Collegiate Champions program, which honors all champions of men[apos]s and women[apos]s sports throughout the nation at every level of college athletics.
While with AdCraft, a division of Host Communications, Inc., Roller created and managed a publishing division and helped launch NCAA Football USA, which involved promotion, licensing and merchandising for college football programs at all levels of intercollegiate athletics.
Roller was director of communications for the Orange Bowl Committee in Miami, Fla., from 1988 to 1991. He was with the Orange Bowl when Federal Express became its first title sponsor in 1989.
The Pearisburg, Va., native began his career in sports information. He earned his degree from Virginia Tech in 1983 and worked as a student assistant in the sports information office for four years. He was the sports information director at UNC Wilmington and East Carolina University from 1983 to 1988. While at UNC Wilmington, Roller, 49, was also executive director of the university[apos]s athletics fund-raising program.
Roller holds a master[apos]s degree in edu¬cation administration from Samford. He has one son, Brad, 25, a 2008 Samford graduate.
