Ryan Robinson - Executive Associate Athletics Director/Revenue Generation; Pirate Club Executive Director - Staff Directory

Staff Directory

Ryan Robinson

Title:
Executive Associate Athletics Director/Revenue Generation; Pirate Club Executive Director
Email:
Phone:
(252) 737-4882

Ryan Robinson is a seasoned administrator with more than 25 years of experience across the National Football League, intercollegiate athletics, university administration, and the non-profit sector. Currently, he serves as the Executive Associate AD for Revenue Generation and the Executive Director of the ECU Educational Foundation (Pirate Club) at East Carolina University, where he has been a key member of the athletics leadership team since 2019.

Robinson leads all major fundraising initiatives, premium seating and hospitality, and revenue strategies for ECU Athletics while also serving as a sports administrator for men’s basketball and both golf programs.

In his current role with the Pirate Club, Robinson leads a staff that is responsible for all major gifts, which includes endowments, capital projects and premium seating. The Pirate Club achieved the highest single-year fundraising total in the 61-year history of the organization with $36.7 million raised in 2022, surpassing the previous mark by $4 million. The five largest gifts in ECU Athletics and Pirate Club history have been secured the last four years including the largest one-time philanthropic gifts in back-to-back years.

In May of 2022, ECU Athletics and the Pirate Club launched the Pirates Unite Campaign for Comprehensive Excellence. In three years, donors have fully funded a multipurpose indoor facility, an expansion of the current baseball building, a golf facility that included a renovation to the driving range and a new building that will house team locker rooms and an installation of chairback seats in Minges Coliseum to enhance the fan experience and generate new revenue opportunities.

Robinson spent his first two years at ECU as executive associate athletics director for external operations where he had oversight of the day-to-day operations of all external areas, which included the implementation of the ESPN-plus broadcasts, marketing and promotions, social media, ticket sales and operations, media relations and video services. He was the liaison to IMG College Sports Properties, the Pirates’ multi-media rights holder.

Prior to joining ECU, Robinson spent four years in leadership roles at the University of Tennessee where he served on the athletics leadership team and the chancellor’s cabinet. He was named Vice Chancellor for Communications in May of 2017 where had direct oversight of the office of communications and marketing, while also serving as a liaison to the athletics department and chief of staff with a direct reporting line to the chancellor.

Robinson was initially hired at UT in 2015 to serve as a member of the athletics executive leadership team and as senior associate athletic director for communications. He had direct oversight of media relations, internet communications, broadcasting and creative services.

Before joining the UT staff, Robinson spent a decade with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars where he served as director of public relations. In that role, Robinson coordinated local, regional and national media opportunities and worked directly with the head football coach, coaching staff, front office and players.

Prior to his stint with the Jaguars communications team (2005-2015), Robinson served as executive director of Peyton Manning's PeyBack Foundation (2001-05) and assistant director of public relations for the Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001).

During his time in the NFL, Robinson worked directly with five different head coaches and three recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees – Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James.

A native of Ashland, Kentucky, Robinson earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Kentucky in 1997.