On this episode of the Sports Business Classroom Audio Experience “Alumni Takeover” series, host Arthur McKibben is joined by Chief Operating Officer for UNLV’s Sports Innovation Initiative, Jay Vickers. Vickers, is a senior leader with more than 20 years of experience in the areas of management, fundraising, sales, marketing, and customer service with a proven record of measurable outcomes. A graduate of Notre Dame, Vickers was a member of the Fighting Irish football team from 1996-2000 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
In this episode, Arthur and Jay discuss:
- What Jay’s current role as Chief Operating Officer entails
- Advice for listeners looking to gain exposure to elite athletes, sports teams, and front-office opportunities
- What having awareness of good leadership looks like
- The biggest challenges a person could face trying to have a career in sports
Before working in intercollegiate athletics, Vickers gained several years of experience as a marketing manager with an extensive background in customer service, sales, marketing, and management at numerous major corporations including Pfizer and Hershey’s. He is a founding member of Game Changers United, the U.S. Soccer Federation Board for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and leads the Las Vegas Super Bowl Host Committee internship program partnership with UNLV. As a results-oriented leader, Vickers has had success at two Mountain West programs, Fresno State and UNLV, in the PAC-12 at Arizona, in the BIG 10 at Wisconsin, and in the MAC at Northern Illinois University. He has a comprehensive understanding of the role of higher education external divisions aligning with institutional priorities while increasing private philanthropy. We are thrilled to feature him on the podcast and can’t wait for you to hear the valuable insights he has to offer.
Follow SBC: LinkedIn | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Follow Arthur: LinkedIn | Instagram
Follow Jay: LinkedIn
WHERE TO LISTEN
Listen to this podcast episode on:
WATCH THIS EPISODE
SHOW NOTES
- How was Jay introduced to sports? How did he fall in love with Sports? Did he only play football? And when did he realize he could use Sports to gain an Education and a career in Business Development? (5:20)
- Did Jay always know he wanted to be involved in Sports Marketing and Business Development? (10:40)
- If Jay could go back to the beginning and re-route his path to success, is there anything he would have changed or done differently or maybe a skillset he would have focused on more? (15:30)
- What does Jay’s current role entail for him now as COO, and How different is it from being the Director of Business Development? (17:45)
- If the Sports Research & Innovation Initiative was a Home Depot, what would our audience find on the aisles? (22:20)
- What advice would you give to our SBC Students and Alumni about how you navigated through those first 6 months and maybe even the following 6 to 18 months being the Director of Business Development with the responsibilities you had? (27:00)
- How would Jay position what having awareness of good leadership looks like? (33:20)
- What is UNLV Sports Properties and how did this opportunity come about for Jay? (40:36)
- Jay earned the Notre Dame MVP award after running for 139 yards, 77 of them on one run to the Japan two, that set up the first Irish touchdown and gave Notre Dame a lead it never gave up. What was that whole experience like for him and did he ever think this would be in his future after leaving Notre Dame? (45:05)
- What advice would Jay give to our SBC Community who are looking to gain exposure to elite athletes, sports teams, and front office opportunities? (54:30)
- What might Jay say could be some of the biggest challenges a person could face trying to have a career in sports working for a Sports Organization? (56:18)
- Jay speaks of having spent most of his career in Sports at the University Leve. What are the opportunities that are out there beyond the sports organizations often looked at in the NBA, NFL, and MLB, and how did that become a lane for Jay? (59:10)
- What does “The Nerd Jock” mean? (1:02:18)
- Who is Jay’s favorite Athlete of all time? And who Is the most influential thought leader for him personally? (1:06:36)
- Jay tells listeners what it means to him to have H.E.A.R.T (1:09:08)
