Bryan B. Blair is a nationally respected college athletics leader known for combining enterprise leadership, cutting-edge innovation, and elite program-building to drive transformational outcomes. Appointed in 2022, Blair serves as Vice President and Director of Athletics at the University of Toledo, where he has led a bold and comprehensive modernization of Rocket Athletics—marked by record-breaking revenue generation, championship success, strategic brand elevation, and a deep commitment to student-athlete outcomes. In 2024, he was named to the prestigious Sports Business Journal Forty Under 40 list, affirming his standing as one of the most influential and future-ready leaders in sports and entertainment.
As the 14th Director of Athletics in school history—and the youngest FBS AD in the country at the time of his hire—Blair has redefined Toledo’s trajectory. Under his leadership, Toledo has delivered one of the most dominant competitive runs in the country. The Rockets have won 13 Mid-American Conference championships—more than the previous decade combined—since his arrival and became the first FBS school in history to win outright conference titles in football, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's cross country, women's tennis and men's tennis in the same academic year. In total, Toledo secured six MAC titles in 2022–23 and five more in 2023–24, including championships in cross country, tennis, football and basketball. The program also made history by capturing the Cartwright Award as the MAC’s top overall athletics program three consecutive times and sweeping both the Reese (men’s) and Jacoby (women’s) trophies for the first time in school history in 2023–24.
In 2024–25 alone, Toledo hosted more than 930 events, drew over 450,000 fans and visitors to campus venues, and shattered its all-time fundraising record. Blair’s leadership has elevated Toledo into a nationally visible, enterprise-level program—blending data, innovation, and community to achieve results at scale.
One of Blair’s first moves was launching the “Rise Together” strategic plan, which unified stakeholders across campus, athletics, and the community around an ambitious, values-driven roadmap for success. This plan informed a $75M facility master plan, a long-range value proposition study, and a reinvention of both revenue strategy and brand expression. Strategic investments followed, including a new Glass Bowl turf, a first-of-its-kind Vu creative studio and a cutting-edge videoboard at Savage Arena—the largest and most advanced in the conference.
Blair is widely recognized as an elite revenue generator and relationship builder. Since 2022, new major and planned gifts have increased by 282%, including a 92% jump from FY24 to FY25 alone. Annual Rocket Fund support is up 71%, and the 1923 Society—Blair’s philanthropic leadership platform—has surpassed $11.5 million in pledges, with over half of the donors making their first major gift. In 2024, a $4 million commitment from Marcia and Roy Armes became the second-largest cash gift in Athletics history and one of the top five in University history. Blair has also renegotiated major partnerships with Nike and Learfield to maximize revenue and NIL opportunities in a dynamic sponsorship marketplace.
Toledo’s success on the field has matched its growth off it. In just three years, Blair has overseen the most dominant competitive stretch in school history. The 13 MAC championships won over the last three years are more than the previous decade combined. In 2022-23, Toledo became the first FBS institution to win conference titles in women's cross country, football, men's basketball, women's basketball, women's tennis and men's tennis in the same school year, and one of only three schools ever to win outright titles in football, men's basketball and women's basketball in the same year. The football program won the 2022 MAC Championship and a record-setting six-overtime bowl thriller over Pitt in 2024. Toledo defeated two Power Four opponents in 2024 and currently leads the MAC with 17 players on NFL rosters. Men’s basketball won four straight regular season titles; the women’s program won three consecutive league titles, including an NCAA Tournament win over Big 12 champion Iowa State. Blair’s coaching hires—including new leaders for women’s basketball, volleyball, swimming, soccer, softball, golf, and rowing—reflect a commitment to excellence and long-term program building.
Academically, Toledo student-athletes have set all-time highs, maintaining a cumulative GPA above 3.3 for six straight semesters. The Rockets earned the MAC Institutional Academic Award in 2023 with a record 3.437 GPA and have twice broken the school’s GPA record since Blair’s arrival.
Blair has positioned Toledo as a national leader in NIL activation and student-athlete empowerment. Under his leadership, Toledo became the first MAC school with a collective, the first to partner with Campus Ink for exclusive NIL apparel, and the first to deliver national brand deals with Powerade and auto partners for women’s basketball. A full-time executive now leads NIL strategy, and student-athletes participate in local campaigns, billboards, and cross-platform activations.
Blair’s commitment to innovation is reflected in several national-first initiatives. In 2024, Toledo became the first athletic department in the country to integrate Vu One virtual production technology via the Nancy and James Lapp Creative Studio—an immersive, content-rich space for recruiting, NIL, storytelling, and donor engagement. In 2025, Blair implemented a department-wide mandate for artificial intelligence training, reinforcing Toledo’s culture of continuous improvement and tech-forward operations. Teamworks General Manager now anchors internal communications, compliance, and athlete services.
Facilities are increasingly activated as community hubs under Blair’s leadership. Toledo’s Glass Bowl hosted “Glass City Live” in 2025, a stadium concert featuring the Zac Brown Band that drew nearly 18,000 fans and revived the venue as a regional entertainment destination. Over 150,000 additional guests have attended youth sports events, clinics, and non-athletic programs in the department’s venues—further strengthening the connection between athletics, enrollment, and community engagement.
Fan experience remains a strategic pillar. Since 2022, Toledo has led the MAC in football and women’s basketball attendance each year, with men’s basketball ranking either first or second, while setting new records in student turnout, sellouts, and cross-campus gameday partnerships. In 2024, Blair launched Toledo’s first Fan Leadership Council to formalize this feedback loop. Student surveys show over 84% of respondents believe Rocket Athletics enhances their campus experience. The student gameday experience has been transformed by reimagining the intersection of student energy, digital entertainment, and in-venue innovation. Blair relocated the student tailgate zone closer to the stadium entrance, introduced live music and carnival rides, and debuted interactive activations like the Rocket Motorsports Car—built by UToledo engineering students—and the nationally acclaimed “Touchdown Tank,” a dunk tank experience celebrating each Rocket touchdown. These enhancements have helped create new energy at Rocket home games, driving a surge in attendance and student ownership in the program.
A core aspect of Blair’s tenure has been intentionally building bridges between campus and the broader Toledo region. He launched the #TeamToledo campaign to strengthen alignment between athletics, local businesses, civic organizations, and cultural institutions—positioning Rocket Athletics as a unifying force for the community. Under his leadership, athletics has become a front door to campus, helping fuel regional pride, university visibility, and economic engagement. In 2023, Blair mobilized the department’s participation in “419 Day,” an annual city-wide day of service. Nearly 100 student-athletes, coaches, and staff partnered with Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful to clean six sites across the city—removing over 3,000 pounds of litter and reinforcing Toledo’s civic identity. The initiative has grown each year and now serves as a core expression of the department’s commitment to impact beyond competition.
Blair has also forged deep ties with institutional leadership. He serves on the President’s Cabinet, co-chaired the University’s 2025 national executive vice president and provost search, and was selected for the Executive Committee overseeing the university’s campus master plan. His service on the NCAA Division I Sports Oversight Committee and Committee on Infractions underscores his national credibility and policy fluency.
Blair’s commitment to the student-athlete experience, enrollment growth, and holistic development is evident across the department. Under his leadership, Toledo added Women’s Rowing as its 17th varsity sport, tapping into Toledo’s MetroPark transformational work and extending Rocket Athletics into the city’s urban core, while bolstering the university’s enrollment efforts. The initiative taps into a $200 million redevelopment of the Maumee River corridor, leveraging one of the city’s most unique natural assets and extending Rocket Athletics into downtown Toledo. It also supports the University’s enrollment and Title IX goals by providing new opportunities for academically high-achieving women to compete at the Division I level.
Blair’s commitment to student-athlete development has extended well beyond competition. Under his leadership, Toledo launched the “Rockets Ascend Pathways Program” in 2025, providing one-on-one mentorship and career connections between student-athletes and industry leaders. That same year, Blair introduced “Networking & NIL Night,” a signature career and branding event connecting more than 50 regional and national businesses with student-athletes inside Savage Arena. These efforts are part of a broader, holistic approach to preparing student-athletes for life after sports. Among new programming, one of the most impactful and celebrated has been “Dining With the Deans,” an ongoing series of dinners that allow Rocket student-athletes to meet and share ideas with the Dean of their school of study in an informal setting. Toledo also became one of the first Group of Six programs to partner with RealResponse, a confidential feedback platform that enables real-time communication between student-athletes and department leadership, ensuring their voices are heard and acted upon. Regular surveys and feedback loops powered by RealResponse have become embedded in the Rockets’ operations—strengthening the department’s commitment to integrity, accountability, and continuous improvement.
Prior to his appointment at Toledo, Blair served as Deputy AD and Chief Operating Officer at Washington State University, where he oversaw 17 varsity sports, led NIL and strategic planning efforts, and managed the department’s Nike relationship. Under his leadership, the Cougars secured multiple top 25 appearances and set cumulative GPA and academic success records, while fundraising doubled to over $30 million, including securing 50 of the top 70 largest gifts in WSU athletic history.
Blair also served in roles at Rice University (2011–12, 2014–18), the University of South Carolina (2012–14), and the NCAA Office in Indianapolis (2010–11). He holds a law degree from the University of South Carolina and a bachelor’s degree from Wofford College, where he played four seasons of Division I football and was a team captain and Defensive Lineman of the Year.
Blair and his wife, Jenna, reside in Toledo with their daughter Brielle and son Beau.
Bryan Blair's File
Education:
• Law Degree, South Carolina '10
• Bachelor's Degree in History, Wofford College '07
Administrative Experience:
2022-pres. Vice President and Director of Athletics, The University of Toledo
2018-22 Deputy Athletic Director/COO, Washington State University
2014-18 Senior Associate Athletic Director, Rice University
2012-14 Assistant Director of Compliance Services, University of South Carolina
2011-12 Compliance Coordinator, Rice University
2010-11 Academic and Membership Affairs Postgraduate Intern, NCAA
College Football Playing Experience:
2003-06 Wofford College
Family:
Wife, Jenna, daughter Brielle, son Beau
