Brown University Athletics Director Hayes Stepping Down

Brown University Athletics Director Hayes Stepping Down

Brown University announced on Friday that Jack Hayes, director of athletics and recreation since 2012, is stepping down. 

After nearly a decade leading varsity, club and recreational sports programs as Brown University’s 17th director of athletics, Hayes will leave Brown on February 5, when he will become senior advisor to Bruin Sports Capital beginning on March 1. 

“Jack truly embraces the ideal of the scholar-athlete,” President Christina H. Paxson said. “Brown Athletics under his leadership has embodied a commitment to cultivating a climate where athletic competition and academic achievement form the core of the student-athlete experience to promote real personal growth and leadership.”

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Colin A. Sullivan, deputy director of athletics, will serve as interim athletics director while Brown conducts a national search for Hayes’ successor.

Hayes' Tenure

Hayes leaves a legacy of success by Brown student-athletes, both on the field and in the classroom. His tenure includes Ivy League championship and school-record seasons, team and individual NCAA tournament appearances in multiple sports, a National Player of the Year award to a Bears lacrosse player, and two Senior CLASS Awards for most outstanding seniors in a given sport.

Over the same span, a total of 26 student-athletes have been named Academic All-Americans. 

The positive contributions that Hayes has made to the athletics program in all of these areas will be long-lasting, said Eric Estes, vice president for campus life.

“Jack led robust fundraising that enabled $50 million in important facilities upgrades during his time at Brown, which will benefit our student-athletes for generations to come,” Estes said. “Men’s lacrosse went to the 2016 Final Four, women’s soccer won a conference championship in 2019, and other programs competed in the NCAA postseason. As important, student-athletes achieved great accomplishments as scholars inside the classroom. There have been 26 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans during his tenure, and Brown is routinely among the very top schools in the country in terms of the number of teams receiving NCAA APR public recognition awards.”

As director of athletics, Hayes leads a department that includes 34 Division I varsity teams, hundreds of student-athletes and a robust lineup of competitive club sports programs. Brown Athletics is home to more than 150 coaches and staff members who — as part of the Division of Campus Life at Brown — support an extensive intramural sports and fitness program, manage the University’s athletic facilities, and promote a wide-ranging portfolio of leadership opportunities for students and service efforts in support of the local community.

“Our student-athletes, coaches and athletics department staff do an outstanding job representing Brown University, not only through performance in their sports, but also through the excitement they create on campus and their commitment to the greater community,” Hayes said. “I’ve sincerely enjoyed working with our students, alumni and friends, and I’m deeply appreciative of the opportunity I’ve had to be a part of Brown Athletics.