DU AD Strives To Bring Athletic Program To Students

From Clarion

by Bryce Evans

As the sun pours through her office window overlooking DU's Peter Barton Stadium, Peg Bradley-Doppes (left photo), in her second year as DU's director of athletics, explains her vision for this school and its athletic program.

"We need everyone to realize that this is their athletic program," Bradley-Doppes explained. "This program belongs to the students not to me, not to the coaches, not the TV stations. Without the students we are not here."

When handed the reigns of the athletic program, Bradley-Doppes was given a chance to showcase her extensive experience in elevating the Pioneer athletics to national recognition from top to bottom.

Along with the goals for the success of DU teams, Bradley-Doppes also has the task of bringing students to the games, making them feel a part of the rich tradition that is DU athletics.

"We need people here. We need people in the stands making a difference," Bradley-Doppes said. "If people are here just to watch the game, that doesn't make the difference. If people come because they feel the support they give will affect their team's outcome, then we have made a difference."

Coming to DU from major Division I programs at University of North Carolina-Wilmington, the University of Michigan and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Bradley-Doppes has worked for programs that have a very deep and rich tradition in athletics and she feels that DU students should have the same.

"We have had pockets of outstanding success at DU," she said. "Now the goal is doing that across the board."

Bradley-Doppes's desire is to bring all of DU's 17 NCAA Division I teams to national prominence without having to sacrifice the strong academic integrity that DU holds.

"The Pioneer athletic program boasts a cumulative GPA of over 3.2, proving that our student athletes are students first," she said.

This shows that the strongest assets of the DU athletic program, according to Bradley-Doppes, are the people here.

"When I walk across the campus, I'm proud," said Bradley-Doppes. "It's easy to see that DU students are a cut above the rest."

It is this reason that Bradley-Doppes feels that the DU student body deserves more from the school's athletic program.

Plans have already been finalized to build a $7 million addition to the Ritchie Center that will include a new soccer stadium, a state-of-the-art 10,000-square-foot weight room and a DU athletics hall of fame called Legacy Hall.

Bradley-Doppes feels that these additions will help to bring not only students to campus with a great facility to watch games, but also will help to build that rich athletic tradition that she covets for DU through the addition of Legacy Hall.

"Athletics are certainly not the most important aspect of this university," Bradley Doppes was quick to point out. "But, they are the most visible and we need something that we are proud of."

A major difficulty for the DU athletics program, according to Bradley-Doppes, is getting students involved in the athletics program in the fall without having a football team.

She feels that by building this stadium, the DU student body will be much more inclined to come and support the DU soccer programs, thus becoming involved early in the year rather than waiting until the hockey season starts.

Building something that all members of the DU community are proud of is extremely important to Bradley-Doppes and her staff.

Building a hall of fame to honor DU's past, Bradley-Doppes feels, is the perfect way to instill a tradition of excellence for this program.

"It'll connect our past and the future; show everyone that you are bigger than just today," said Bradley-Doppes.

In the end, it'll be the little things that will help students to feel a part of the athletics program as Bradley-Doppes wants, and DU is beginning to make the proper adjustments.

For the first time in recent years, all DU sporting events, with the exception of hockey, have free admission to DU students with the use of their student IDs.

Also, students are now given a chance to make money while working the gates at DU games.

Bradley-Doppes also hopes to make changes in the DU media department by allowing students to earn internship hours while covering DU sporting events and teams.

Bradley-Doppes knows about success. She was an All-American while playing volleyball at College of Mount St. Joseph and holds the NCAA record for being the youngest coach to reach 300 wins while at UNC-Chapel Hill.

With so much experience in success, Bradley-Doppes feels she can help to achieve her goal of bringing the DU athletic program back to the students.

"We want everyone to see the hard work that we are putting in," said Bradley-Doppes. "We want the students to be brought in by the passion and the effort that our athletes put in for them. Winning is not the only thing, striving to win is."

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