Dr. Danny White
Danny White’s innovative and forward-thinking approach to the rapidly evolving landscape of intercollegiate athletics primed University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman to name him Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics on Jan. 21, 2021. Boasting a literal lifetime of experience in the industry, White, 41, oversaw a period of unprecedented competitive, academic and service excellence at the University of Central Florida from 2015-21. Prior to that, White served as the AD at Buffalo from 2012-15.
White’s departmental successes have earned him numerous awards—a Sports Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree in multiple years, a spot on the Orlando Business Journal 40 Under 40 list, multiple selections as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Orlando by Orlando Magazine and he was a finalist for the 2018 SBJ Athletics Director of the Year award.
A native of New Orleans, Louisiana, White was named a NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year in the spring of 2019. In 2018, SBJ named him one of the six most influential people in sports business, while Orlando Magazine tabbed him as the area’s most powerful person in sports. In 2020, Stadium rated White No. 4 nationally on its list of athletics directors based on the combined success of his coaching hires in football and men’s basketball.
A former college basketball student-athlete at Towson and Notre Dame, White quickly ascended in the ranks of college athletics leadership. Prior to his first athletics director opportunity at Buffalo, he was senior associate athletics director at Ole Miss from 2009-12. He previously served two years as associate athletics director for development at Fresno State (2007-09) and one as assistant athletics director for development at Northern Illinois (2006-07).
Before pivoting to athletics administration, White spent year as the director of basketball operations and another year as an assistant coach with the Ohio University men’s basketball program.
White graduated from Notre Dame in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He earned master’s degrees in both business administration and sports administration from Ohio University and completed a doctorate degree in higher education from Ole Miss in 2016.
White comes from a family deeply involved in intercollegiate athletics. His father, Kevin, was the longtime vice president and director of athletics at Duke (and previously held that same role at Notre Dame, Arizona State, Tulane, Maine and Loras College). His brother, Michael, is the head men’s basketball coach at the Florida. His brother, Brian, is the vice president and director of athletics at Florida Atlantic. His sister, Mariah, is the assistant athletics director for administration at SMU. Danny and his wife, Shawn, have four children: Aidan, Molly, Caitlin and James.
