Mike Hill
Mike Hill became the seventh director of athletics in Charlotte 49ers’ history, Feb. 28, 2018 and has brought a Gold Standard of excellence to the program.
Professionally, Hill has hired seven new head coaches, a Deputy A.D. for External Affairs and an Executive A.D. He has also introduced a bold new look after an athletics brand assessment and unveiled EverGreen, the program’s athletics facilities master vision.
In his first five years, the 49ers have witnessed remarkable success. In 2022-23, Charlotte saw a record eight teams win Conference USA Championships while the athletic department posted the highest average finish in the league for the third straight year. The 49ers men’s and women’s cross country and track programs won five of a possible six league titles. Four teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament including softball and women’s tennis, which both made their first-ever trips. Men’s golf advanced for the third straight time while baseball made its second trip in three years. Men’s Basketball won the CBI Championship and posted its most wins since 2001.
Hill co-Chair of the LEAD1 Working Group on Name, Image, and Likeness.
Personally, within his first years with the 49ers, he married Jessica James-Hill, welcomed a daughter, Ellie, and a son, Bobby, and watched his older son, Luke, graduate high school and enroll at Florida.
Hill was formerly the Executive Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at the University of Florida.
Hill came to the 49ers after a nearly 25-year career with the University of Florida Athletic Association. He spent his last six years as the Gators’ Executive Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs.
Prior to joining the University of Florida, Hill was an Assistant to the Athletics Director at Ball State University and served as Assistant Executive Director of the Blockbuster Bowl from 1990-92. A 1990 graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communications.
For his part, Hill, who has a personal background with the Carolinas, saw the move to the 49ers program as a trip home.
He attended the Charlotte Hornets first basketball game. He’s a Carolina Panthers football fan. He watched the 49ers’ 1977 Final Four game vs. Marquette from his grandparents living room, in Charlotte. He’s seen the Avett Brothers perform over 20 times (Seth Avett attended UNC Charlotte).
“This is personal for me,” noted Hill, who grew up in Clemson, S.C., and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “This is home.”
