Peter Roby Named Northeastern University's Ninth Athletic Director
(6-27-07) Boston, Mass. � After serving as the interim Northeastern Univeristy Athletic Director, Peter Roby has accepted the full-time role. He is just the second African-American AD at a New England Division I university.
Roby, former head basketball coach at Harvard University, marketing vice president at Reebok, and since 2002, Director of Northeastern�s Center for the Study of Sport in Society, brings broad experience in unique perspective to his new position.
�Peter brings a unique set of skills and perspective to college athletics,� said Northeastern President Joseph Aoun. �I am confident that under Peter�s leadership, Northeastern�s program will set a standard for ethical practices and athletic excellence.� President Aoun also thanked Trustee George Behrakis for chairing the search committee and thanked all the committee members for their unanimous endorsement of Roby.
Roby will oversee Northeastern�s 19-sport, Division I Athletics Department, which competes in the highly-competitive Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), Hockey East Association and Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC). In addition, Roby will oversee Northeastern Campus Recreation, which offers over 40 club sports, intramural sports and physical education opportunities for Northeastern students.
Roby, 50, served as Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Welfare during the 2005-06 season, in addition to his duties at the Center for the Study of Sport in Society. As head of the Center, Roby has been a forceful national leader, championing the role sports can play in bringing about positive social change through research, education and advocacy. He has also been outspoken in decrying the use of performance-enhancing drugs, competitive pressures placed on children, permissive attitudes toward professional athletes and a number of other sports-related issues.
Prior to joining Northeastern, Roby was the vice president of U.S. Marketing at Reebok, the Canton-based sporting good company. He served as assistant basketball coach at Stanford University, Dartmouth College, the United States Military Academy and Harvard, where he was named head coach in 1985. In six seasons as head coach, Roby�s teams finished third in the Ivy League twice.
Roby is a 1979 graduate of Dartmouth College where he was co-captain of the basketball team and earned a bachelor�s degree in Government. A native of New Britain, Conn., Roby lives with his wife, Sandra, and three children in Newton, Mass.
�Destiny meets reality today when Peter Roby becomes Northeastern�s Athletics Director,� said Richard Lapchick, the founder of Northeastern�s Center for the Study of Sport in Society and the current Chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. �I was the chair of the search committee for the AD in the mid-1990s and the first person I called to see if he would be a candidate was Peter Roby. I think he was ready then, but his additional years at Reebok and the fabulous job he has done as the Director of Sport in Society make him even more ready and the perfect choice to lead the Huskies. Peter is a great leader.
�The appointment also comes in 2007 when less than five percent of America�s athletics directors are African-American. The choice reflects Northeastern University�s commitment to always seeking the best candidates for every position and to make those who represent Northeastern University look like America. Peter Roby will be a great AD for a great university.�
Roby, the ninth athletics director in Northeastern history, follows Dave O�Brien, who was Northeastern AD from 2002-07. O�Brien left to accept a faculty appointment as Director of Sport Management at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
The Center for the Study of Sport in Society at Northeastern University is one of the world�s leading social justice organizations that use sport to create social change both nationally and internationally. The flagship organization located in the heart of Boston, Mass. was founded in 1984 by Dr. Richard Lapchick and touts branches in Baltimore, Md. and Phoenix, Ariz. Through research, education, and advocacy the center promotes physical activity, health, violence prevention, and diversity among young people and college and professional athletes. Sport in Society�s innovative programs are all staffed by former college or professional athletes and have been awarded America�s most successful violence prevention program by Lou Harris, the Peter F. Drucker Award as the most innovative non-profit program in the social sector, and have been cited as the National Crime Prevention Council�s 50 Best Strategies to Prevent Violent Domestic Crimes. For more information please visit http://www.sportinsociety.org.