Michelle Durban is entering her 21st year in the Samford athletics department and now serves as the department’s Deputy Director of Athletics for Student-Athlete Well Being and Senior Woman Administrator.
In her current role, Durban oversees 10 of Samford’s 17 sports programs, including operating budgets and oversight of coaches, and she manages $11 million in financial aid for all Samford student-athletes. She also oversees the academic support, compliance, sports medicine and sports performance departments.
Additionally, Durban serves on the hiring committee for all head coaches at Samford. She advises and oversees Samford’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), and is the university's Deputy TIX Coordinator.
Durban currently serves as the chair for the Southern Conference’s committees for volleyball and women’s basketball. She also was on the NCAA Volleyball Committee from 2017-2021, serving as the chair in 2019-2020.
Durban served as acting Athletics Director from December 2010 to April 2011, while serving on the Athletic Director Search Committee.
Durban served as head volleyball coach for the first four years she was at Samford. The Bulldogs improved from Durban's first year to her second, nearly doubling their win total from year one to year two. In her final season as head coach, the team posted the first winning season in the history of the program.
Durban came to Samford from the University of Alabama, where she spent four years as an assistant coach. In 2003, she served as associate head coach. During her time in Tuscaloosa, she coached six All-SEC players, two academic All-Americans and one honorable mention All-American.
Durban arrived at Alabama in February of 2000 after a three-year stint as the top assistant coach at Butler University. Durban helped guide the Butler Bulldogs to the 1997 Midwestern Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament titles, and to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Durban began her coaching career as the varsity and junior varsity volleyball coach at Bloomington South (Ind.) High School.
A starting setter and four-year letterwinner at Indiana, the former Michelle McElroy finished her playing career as the Hoosiers' all-time assists leader. She was listed 10th on the Big Ten all-time list for assists upon the completion of her playing career.
A native of Edgewood, Ky., Durban graduated from Indiana University in 1996 with a B.S. in recreation and sports management. One year later, she received her M.S. degree from Indiana as well.
Durban resides in Hoover with her two daughters, Alyson and Sydney
