UTEP Director of Athletics Jim Senter announced on Monday that Nick Popplewell has been promoted to Senior Associate Athletic Director for Development and External Relations. Popplewell has served as Associate Athletic Director for Development at UTEP over the last year.
In his new role, Popplewell will oversee the Creative Services, Development, Marketing, Ticketing and Sponsorship areas with additional sport administrator responsibilities.
"We're excited about placing Nick in this new role," Senter said. "He did an outstanding job championing our development efforts over the last year. He supervised several external units when he was at Colorado State and excelled in that capacity as well. Nick is an extremely bright young man who will repeatedly bring creative and innovative ideas to the table as we strive to increase interest, excitement and loyalty for UTEP Athletics."
"I want to sincerely thank Jim Senter for the opportunity to lead our external operations unit," Popplewell said. "I can't wait to get started in this role, helping to grow UTEP Athletics' presence locally, regionally and nationally."
"Since I've been in the Sun City and at UTEP, my excitement has only grown in regards to the potential and overall top-end for the athletics department. Unequivocally, I believe this can be one of the best places in the country – a premier Group of 5 program. We will work tirelessly to fulfill that vision. Our efforts will be focused on unrivaled engagement on campus and in the community as well as looking for opportunities to grow affinity with UTEP alumni, fans and donors," Popplewell added.
Over the past 12 months, Popplewell has been responsible for overseeing the Miner Athletic Club, the fundraising arm for UTEP Athletics. The Miner Athletic Club (MAC) recently went through a complete rebrand and reconfiguration. This included a new logo for the MAC, a new tagline, "Creating Champions" (#CreatingChampions), revised annual fund giving levels and benefits, new and revised annual events, new sports excellence funds and a new website (www.minerathleticclub.com). Popplewell also oversaw the implementation of the Miner Priority Points system and lead the Sun Bowl reseating campaign.
Popplewell came to the Sun City after serving as Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Digital Media at Colorado State from 2015-18. While in Fort Collins he oversaw the marketing, graphic design, video, community outreach, social media, game/event production and spirit squad areas. He also served as assistant sport supervisor for the men's golf and women's tennis programs.
Under Popplewell's leadership, Colorado State's football ticket sales revenue increased by 43 percent in 2017. The Rams also set school records for total number of season tickets and season attendance average.
Popplewell helped oversee the construction of a $1.8 million control room that housed the video production for both the football and basketball venues.
The native of Buhl, Idaho was also a member of Colorado State's licensing and merchandise leadership team. In 2015-16, CSU licensing royalties grew by nearly 35 percent. The following year (2016-17) royalties expanded again, growing by almost 20 percent. Popplewell was very active in NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators) and served as the Mountain West conference representative.
Popplewell spent three years (2012-15) as Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing and Branding at Wyoming. His efforts resulted in the advertising budget doubling to over $650,000 via donations, trade partnerships and sponsorships. He developed the Athletics Brand Standards Guide including an official department font, numbering system, tagline and a new secondary mark. He chaired the department's external operations meetings. Popplewell assisted with the Arena-Auditorium reseating process and implemented a variable pricing structure for men's basketball that generated $250,000 more than the budgeted revenue as well as increased overall attendance.
He also directed the department's customer service strategies, producing the "WYO Way," a comprehensive plan for fan engagement, and the development of a fan advisory board. Popplewell helped create the Poke Pregame Zone and Tailgate Alley to enhance the football gameday experience, resulting in increased fan enjoyment and excitement. He helped grow UW's digital media efforts as well, launching the department's first mobile app. He developed a social media strategy that increased exposure for all Wyoming accounts, with the number of followers on the main Athletics Facebook page growing by over 2,000 percent. Recognized for his leadership in student engagement, Popplewell was able to increase student attendance at UW football games by nearly 20 percent with marked increases in men's basketball and volleyball as well.
Popplewell spent four years (2008-12) at his alma mater, the University of Idaho, starting as Director of Marketing before being elevated to Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing, Branding and Sales. During his time with the Vandals, he was involved with numerous transformational projects. In 2010, he produced a NACMA award-winning football marketing plan that resulted in a record number of season tickets being sold and an 8-to-1 return on investment. He also oversaw the reorganization of the UI Ticket Office, including the implementation of the first-ever outbound sales unit. Popplewell assisted with the messaging and advertising for the $32 million Kibbie Dome renovation project which included a reseating campaign for football. He also aided in the process for a new, state-of-the-art video board in the Kibbie Dome, collaborating with potential vendors and helping with fundraising plans and presentations.
Popplewell worked closely with Idaho Vandals Sports Properties (IVSP), assisting with the negotiation process for a new multimedia rights agreement with Learfield, Inc. He also partnered with IVSP in overhauling the event scripting process and gameday experience for all sports. Serving as the chair of the department's electronic communications committee, he instituted and supervised the first-ever social media accounts and the creation of the first-ever mobile application. Popplewell was responsible for drafting the department's integrated brand marketing and communications plan including a tagline, brand framework and core values. He was also a member of the University's strategic brand leadership group and brand marketing council. He served as the University's trademarks and licensing director for one year, handling day-to-day communications with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC). During that time, UI experienced a record year in royalties and instituted "Vandal Spirit Fridays," a wear-your-gear-day for faculty, staff, students, alumni and fans.
Popplewell received his bachelor's degree in Business-Marketing from Idaho in 2008. He added a master's degree in Education-Sport Administration from Washington in 2009. In addition, he received his MBA in Business Administration from Wyoming in 2015.
Popplewell's wife, Chelsea, is a former Division I diving student-athlete and coach, and currently serves as the Miners' Director of Student-Athlete Development.
