NORMAN, Okla. (AP) 鈥� Decades ago, Roger Denny鈥檚 mother considered it inevitable that her gifted son someday would become an athletic director at a major college program.
Back in 2005, the man who eventually would take over at Oklahoma was a first-year law student at Saint Louis University attending the Final Four. Denny grew up in North Carolina and was a Tar Heels fan, so he took advantage of the national title game between Illinois and North Carolina being in town.
As Denny tells it, the family walked into the Edward Jones Dome and encountered then-North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour.
His mom, Debi, seized the moment.
鈥淢y mom, God bless her, told Dick Baddour in that moment that I was going to have his job some day,鈥� Denny said.
It didn鈥檛 happen exactly as mom predicted, but she was right about one thing for certain 鈥� her son was going places. With Debi in the crowd, Denny was announced Wednesday as Oklahoma鈥檚 12th athletic director.
Denny, 43, spent 15 years as a practicing corporate attorney with a focus on executive compensation, tax, corporate finance and licensing. Even as his success grew, he kept athletics in the back of his mind.
鈥淚 spent 15 years training for this job without knowing I was training for it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 loved the practice of law. I love my partners, loved what I was doing, but 鈥� I never felt the fulfillment or satisfaction. No matter how many boxes I checked or what I accomplished, I just always knew college sports was where I wanted to be.鈥�
Denny spent the past 4 1/2 years in the Illinois athletic department. As deputy athletic director, he was in charge of business operations for the athletic department and the administrator for the Illinois football program.
Oklahoma special adviser Randall Stephenson said Denny鈥檚 path made him a perfect fit for the job description.
鈥淎s you step back and look at that, you see this is a very different kind of individual that we鈥檙e looking for to come in and fill this role,鈥� Stephenson said. 鈥淎nd so therefore, we said we probably need to take a very different approach on how we go about finding this individual.鈥�
As the college sports landscape changed, his skill set began to match up with his mother鈥檚 vision. Now, Denny is taking over one of the nation鈥檚 elite athletic programs. The Sooners won 26 national championships under Joe Castiglione, whose tenure began in 1998.
Denny likes the challenge of trying to maintain that success in a new environment as he works with Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr.
鈥淲hen you hear the university president use the word dynasty, that鈥檚 when you get really excited, and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e here for,鈥� he said.
Now that he has found his dream job in a roundabout way, Denny feels he can find that fulfillment at an ideal place.
鈥淚鈥檝e been asked a few times why Oklahoma?鈥� he said. 鈥淭o me, that鈥檚 the easiest question I鈥檒l get all day. It鈥檚 Oklahoma. 鈥� there鈥檚 only one of these.鈥�
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