Rick Dickson
On August 18, 2021, Dickson agreed to a three-year contract as Tulsa’s Vice President & Director of Athletics. He previously served as the school’s Athletic Director from 1990 to 1994.
Dickson’s prolific career has also included leading athletic programs at Washington State University (1994-2000) and Tulane University (2000-2015). Programs under Dickson’s guidance has seen dozens of conference championships and scores well above the national average in the NCAA’s Academic Performance Rates.
Dickson has become entrenched in the community. He currently serves on the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce Advisory Board and Tulsa Regional Tourism Board of Directors. Dickson has continued his membership on the USTA Collegiate Tennis Committee and Team Gleason Board of Directors, an organization to improve life for people living with ALS.
Dickson, who attended Tulsa’s Bishop Kelley High School, played football for the Golden Hurricane before graduating from TU in 1977. His wife, Brenda, graduated from TU in 1979.
Before leaving Tulsa for Washington State in 1994, Dickson was instrumental in the university securing membership in the Western Athletic Conference, thus giving the football program conference stability.
While at Tulane, Dickson is credited with helping the athletic program and community rebound after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Teams under his tenure won 41 conference titles and advanced to NCAA postseason play 36 times.
Following his retirement from Tulane in 2016, Dickson formed R.P. Dickson Consulting LLC, which has assisted many universities with multiple projects including Title IX reviews, departmental organization, fundraising and marketing campaigns, and facility development.
In 2019, Dickson accepted a year-long role as the CFP New Orleans ambassador, serving the Extra Yards for Teachers Campaign that supports public school teachers of New Orleans.
The Dickson’s have four grown children and six grandchildren.
