Keith Tribble
UCF Athletic Director
Phone: 407-823-2261
Fax: 407-823-1274
Background and History
Keith Tribble has been the Athletic Director at UCF (University of Central Florida) for close to five years. On June 6th, 2006, he became the 9th Athletic Director in UCF history. In addition, he became one of seven Athletic Directors in College FBS (Division 1). His ultimate goal at UCF is to do two things: “To graduate our student athletes and compete for championships”. UCF has been graduating athletes and competing for championships in all sports. Keith’s goal is to make a well-rounded athlete, not one who only competes in the world of sports.
His life has been around college athletics since his days of college. Keith Tribble graduated from Killian High School in Miami, Florida where he was born and raised. He went on play college football at the University of Florida as an Offensive Guard. Keith was able to play in three bowl games in his Florida Gator career and graduating in 1977 with a Bachelors Degree in Journalism (Public Relations and marketing). After college, he got a job as a Sales Executive at Celtex Corporation. Four years later, he went back to his alma mater and became the Associate Athletic Director at the University of Florida.
Keith moved on from his alma mater into executive positions within the next four years. From 1989 to 1990, he became the Director of Event Management at Raycom. The next two years after that, he became the Executive Director for Sunshine State Football overlooking the Blockbuster Bowl. He went back into college athletics in 1992 becoming the Senior Associate Athletic Director for UNLV (University of Nevada Las Vegas) for one year.
Before he became the Athletic Director for UCF, he was more noticed for being the CEO of the Orange Bowl Committee in his hometown of Miami, Florida. He was there for 13 years and played an important role of changing the college bowl system into a major industry. Keith has guided the BCS committee into negotiations deals with FOX Sports, a long-term agreement with newly named Sun Life Stadium, and renegotiated with FedEx to remain as a title sponsor for a record 18th game. Under his leadership, the Orange Bowl has hosted 6 Championship Games including the most recent BCS Title Game in January 2009. Ironically, Keith’s alma mater, The Florida Gators, beat the Oklahoma Sooners in that 2009 BCS Title Game.
The Questions for Keith Tribble
1. Being 1 of 7 Black Athletic Directors in College FBS. As a Black Man myself, how does it feel? Do you feel like there's a responsibility in being one of the few black directors?
Answer: First and foremost, I am proud to hold the position of Director of Athletics, and the opportunity to make an impact on over 500 student-athletes at UCF. Rightfully, my responsibility is the well-being of this athletics program and the young men and women who represent this University on the field of competition and in the classroom.
2. Do you feel that diversity inside major college programs is improving? If not, then why is that?
Answer: Diversity is improving in college athletics nationwide. On our campus, is Dr. Richard Lapchick, and the great work his department through our DeVos School in monitoring cultural trends and statistics in college athletics. Employing diverse staffs, whether it be coaching or administrative, will continue to improve as we as leaders can train, mentor and cultivate the younger generation first getting into this field.
3. By UCF being in the big city of Orlando, do you feel like there's an advantage for recruiting student athletes?
Answer: Having a great location as the UCF campus, in Orlando, in the State of Florida is certainly an appealing trio when prospective student-athletes from northern states tour our campus. The majority of our student-athletes hail from Florida, so the advantage for them is the excellence in academics UCF offers as well as a drivable distance from their hometowns. What UCF will need to continue to do is build tradition. We simply have not been around long enough to think our community will embrace us through birthright. We have to work on it, through aggressive marketing, media coverage, and excellence in athletics – whether it is winning championships or building solid academics.
4. UCF has expanded so much, especially the athletic program. What did the school do to improve on it? Marketing? Brand Awareness?
Answer: The recent growth of UCF Athletics, and our University overall, occurred through the vision and leadership of our President, Dr. Hitt. He made a strong commitment to Athletics, for it to be in a position to become as successful as the University was becoming. Our new facilities have become beacons of that success. The community, alumni and fans now have reasons nearly year-round to come to campus and celebrate UCF, through our athletics events.
5. For someone like myself who wants to get starting in collegiate athletics, what advice would you give me?
Answer: I would recommend getting involved in college athletics while you are a student in school, whether volunteering or through internships. The young men and women who have longevity in this business have been doing since their college days. When you start in those educational roles, you develop the passion and understanding necessary for movement and growth. It is difficult to just walk in from some other line of work and get the whole college athletics picture.
6. With social media being so popular, what's your policy on student-athletes using social media via Facebook or Twitter? You feel like it's a good thing or bad thing?
Answer: Our student services department advocates to our student-athletes safe usage of their personal social network accounts. We supply literature, lectures and examples of what is and what isn’t appropriate. We also monitor our student-athletes’ social network accounts, from one of their coaches periodically checking to someone assigned from our administrative staff.
7. UCF has expanded so much with the new stadium and ties to a TV network. Will the program move to another conference (like the Big East) to improve your brand awareness for recruiting student athletes?
Answer: We are proud members of Conference USA. If an opportunity exists to help C-USA become an automatic qualifying league, we want to be on the forefront of that movement. UCF can compete in an automatic qualifying conference, so if the landscape does start to shift as it periodically does, all we can do is be ready to move in that direction if those opportunities exist.
8. I went to the final UCF vs. USF game in 2008. It's a rivalry many don't know about. How did it get started? Will it be renewed?
Answer: The series actually began before my tenure started at UCF in 2006. Both schools have interest in renewing the series, and are discussing those options presently.
9. Being in Conference USA means UCF is currently a Non-BCS team. How would you feel about a College Playoff opening the doors for school like UCF? Do you think UCF can be the next Boise State or TCU?
Answer: I cannot answer whether a playoff creates those opportunities as some may think. The system we have in place today is the best we’ve had since I can remember. Right now, No. 1 has an opportunity to play No. 2 in the championship game. Those rankings are primarily based on the national rankings we subscribe to all season-long. Prior to the Bowl Championship Series, it was not guaranteed that we get the two top ranked teams to play for the national title. We do have access to the BCS through Conference USA. Just like Boise State playing in the Fiesta Bowl, or TCU in the Rose Bowl, if you have a successful season such as those two schools did, a major bowl invite is available.
Analysis of The Interview
I thought the interview with Keith Tribble was very interesting. I did this interview via email and thank Joe Hornstein for helping me out for this interview. What got my attention was from the first question I asked. I asked him about being one of seven Black Athletic Directors in College FBS and the responsibility with it. It was important for me to hear his answer being a young black man myself. He never mentioned his race and said he was committed to the UCF student athletes. Would of like to hear a little bit more of an answer, but respect his answer and where he’s coming from. I can understand why he answered the way he did. Keith also told me that diversity in college athletics is improving nationwide. It has been criticized in the past and now it’s good to hear that it’s improving behind the scenes, instead of being in front of it.
UCF is one few schools in the state of Florida to be located in the big city of Orlando. I ask him about it and his answer has interesting. As usual, most of the student athletes come from the state of Florida. The attraction of a major campus in a major city has attracted student athletes from northern states as well. That was interesting because some of the student athletes I’m met come from states like Pennsylvania and Michigan. Once they have time to build a tradition, UCF will continue to grow. He credits the vision and leaderships of President Dr. Hitt for UCF growing the way it is now. President Dr. Hitt made a strong commitment to Athletics through various marketing techniques and his vision, along with major support, made UCF what is today. It’s only a matter of time before UCF gets national attention.
I liked his answer to athletes with social media sites. I haven’t heard many schools offer literature, lectures and examples of what is and what’s appropriate. UCF administration monitors their social media sites, but helping their students on social media is beneficial to the school and the athlete. I have not heard of any “Twitter Moments” with UCF athletes so whatever they’re doing is working.
I can use the information he gave me in so many ways. As a fan college football, I can expect the UCF/USF rivalry will be renewed in the near future. I think it’s a rivalry that can be just as, if not better, than the FSU/Florida or the FSU/Miami rivalry. The school has slowly evolved and hopes to see this school in the BCS Bowl Game in the near future. It’s unsure whether UCF will stay in C-USA or not, but that program will be successful in a BCS conference or not. In regards of starting a career in sports, his advice was getting involved through volunteer work or through internships while in school. I’m done a few sports internships in the past and will continue to do that in the future. I hope to have the opportunity to work with UCF Athletics in the future. Maybe then, I can understand the meaning of being a UCF Knight under Athletic Director Keith Tribble.
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