To fill the vacancy of assistant athletic director, current athletic director Danny White decided to go with someone that he has had history working with.
His choice? Former colleague Eric Gross.
Gross has been chosen to assist White, this time at the University at Buffalo. Gross, a graduate of San Diego State University and then Tulsa University, was with White in his time at the University at Mississippi.
He will be looked on to oversee the university's strategic plans for bringing in revenue, which is a role he is very familiar with. At Ole Miss, where he was the associate director of development, he helped White post three consecutive record-breaking years fundraising-wise starting in 2010.
He was also a part of the Capital Gift Agreement and Forward Together, an initiative that involved the expansion of Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium, and a new basketball arena. He helped raise $150 million toward that project.
Prior to his time at Mississippi, he worked with conference rival Tennessee, as he was a development assistant for the Tennessee Fund, a fundraising branch for Tennessee Athletics. He assisted with a number of facility projects. He also was responsible for drafting gift proposals and capital gift agreements.
"I am very pleased to add a professional as talented as Eric Gross to our staff," White said in a statement through UB Athletics after the hiring. "Eric played a key role in our success building a vision for the future of Ole Miss Athletics and implementing a funding model to bring it to reality. This is an exciting time for UB Athletics as we strive to build off of the strong work that has been done to continue the rapid ascension into FBS athletics. Eric will serve a critical role in our charge to advance this department, capture the Buffalo community, and help realize the tremendous potential of this institution."
Gross, a California native, will be called on to oversee the athletic department's facility campaign, strategic plan and contracts as well as analyze revenue streams.
Email: sports@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Tal Hamel, Endvisionprod
Photo: Paul Hokanson/UB Athletics
