DAVIS, Calif. – The calendar read Saturday, March 20^th, 2021. UC Davis football beat up on rival Cal Poly, scoring 73 points in an empty stadium due to COVID keeping fans at home. Monday the 21^st, UC Davis Women's Basketball competed in the NCAA Tournament after winning their fifth straight Big West Championship, playing in front of hundreds of cardboard cut-outs of their family, friends, campus and community members who could only be there in spirit given pandemic restrictions. The next Tuesday, March 23, Chancellor Gary May named Rocko DeLuca Athletics Director, removing the interim tag that he held since the first of the year.

The feelings of excitement for Aggie athletics and celebration for the DeLuca family were met with uncertainty about what the future of the COVID-19 pandemic would mean for collegiate athletics.

DeLuca was not only charged with the rigors of leading a 25-sport department, but also how to bring back together an organization where over 140 employees and 650 student-athletes had spent a year canceling events, reworking competition plans and interacting with each other in a virtual world.

"I am beyond proud of how our staff and coaches altered their expectations and worked tirelessly to make this past year successful for their goals and teams. Everyone in our department has played an instrumental role in making a positive impact on our student-athlete experience and game environment despite unprecedented challenges."

With a background in fundraising, DeLuca leaned on his principles of relationship building and patience in staying the course, knowing that the community would come together in continued support for our student-athletes and vision to be a top FCS program.

The Aggie athletics community did just that, hitting new fundraising records on the University's spring Give Day ($408,146 raised), then again during the Champions Achieve fall giving challenge (707 donors), and surpassing the fundraising goal for the Edwards Family Athletics Center set to open later this year. 

Fans would indeed return to the stands, and in record numbers.

The Aggies set two attendance records this past football season, hitting a high of 12,315 against Sacramento State with an average of over 11,000 in attendance across the five home games. Ticket revenues experienced a six-figure increase from previous seasons. The student body set new game day records as well with over 8,000 entering the gates for their first game back in over a year and a half.

UC Davis has parlayed that success with multiple championships in year one. First, the lacrosse team claimed the 2021 MPSF championship last May. As the academic year turned, women's cross country raced to the Big West title, while the men's water polo team earned their first trip to the final four in program history on the heels of a conference championship. Despite the quick turnaround from their spring football season in 2021, the Aggie football team punched its ticket to their second-ever appearance in the FCS playoffs this past fall.

The constant testing, start-and-stops to competition, as well as new NCAA legislation over the last year pushed the Aggie athletic department to innovate when it came to ways they could help develop the whole student-athlete.

Being on the forefront of new Name, Image and Likeness legislation, UC Davis was the first Big West institution to implement the multimedia application INFLCR, a tool to assist student-athletes in building their brand for NIL opportunities.

Television viewership is essential to NIL success and national branding. The Aggies launched a new broadcasting unit within the department to stream over 60 ESPN+ events annually, ensuring alumni, family and sports fans across the country have exposure to the No. 5 public institution in the country.

Structuring for success, DeLuca has recruited several new staff to the Aggie family, including the hiring of Courtney Randall as Associate Athletic Director for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. On the field, recent coaching hires include a new baseball coach in Tommy Nicholson, swim coach, Matt Macedo and field hockey coach, Austin Pile, all of whom emerged from highly competitive nation-wide searches.

"We have something truly special within our Aggie athletic department and our track record of successfully recruiting talented staff and coaches is a direct result of our culture, support from campus leadership and the overall Davis college town experience. Every time we have an opportunity to hire, we are looking for candidates who share our pride in serving some of the best student-athletes at UC Davis."

When asked how UC Davis Athletics will reach the goal of becoming a top Division I FCS program, Rocko DeLuca expanded upon the principles of the acronym TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More):

"We are always in construction mode in the sense that we honor traditional building blocks, but are also considering a new future emerging from creative, post-pandemic support resources and establishing revitalized community relations. I encourage our alumni and community members to support us in any way they can. You make a positive impact by purchasing season tickets, wearing our CA branded gear, offering internship opportunities for our student-athletes, and making philanthropic investments. I believe there is no limit to what we can achieve as a campus and a community."