Dean will manage the day-to-day operations of Rice Sports Properties, which includes selling, producing and distributing radio play by play for football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and other Olympic sports broadcasts. In addition, Dean will oversee sales efforts for game day publications, hospitality opportunities, venue signage and corporate sponsorships.  He will also continue to work with the marketing, ticket office, licensing and media relations areas for the Athletics Department.

"We are very excited to have Russell assume these new responsibilities and look forward to working with him to develop new opportunities for expanding the market for Rice athletics," said Chris DelConte, Rice University Athletics Director.

"Securing an experienced manager with an extensive collegiate background and strong ties to the University is an enormous asset," said Tom Stultz, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, IMG College. "We feel Russell's experience, along with the relationships he has built with the University and the local business community, will help spark tremendous growth moving forward."

Prior to joining Rice, Dean was assistant athletics director for sales and ticketing at the University of Arizona. At Arizona, Dean oversaw the corporate sales program, which totaled more than $3,000,000 per year, and he was also in charge of the ticket office and ticket sales program that produced more than $9,000,000 in ticket revenue.   Dean also had stints in the athletic departments of Tulane University and the University of Houston.

Dean graduated from Connecticut with a bachelor's of arts degree in sociology in 1992. He received his master's in sports administration from UConn in 1996, while working as a graduate assistant in UConn's athletic marketing department.

About IMG College
IMG College is the leader in developing integrated licensing, marketing, and multi-media opportunities for the nation's top collegiate brands across local, regional, and national platforms.  IMG College is a division of IMG, the world's premier Sports, Entertainment and Media Company.  IMG is a diversified global business with two major business segments: IMG Sports & Entertainment, and IMG Media.  IMG employs more than 3,000 people in 30 countries.