Students enrolled in the University of Florida’s online sport management master’s program gain access to our specialized career coaching services. Our career coaches are internationally recognized industry veterans with decades of experience in sport management, including promotions, corporate partnerships, athlete development, and more.
Without this graduate program, I never would have landed a job with the Mariners. UF’s resources helped me fine-tune my resume and cover letter, which gave me the opportunity to work the biggest event in Major League Baseball: All-Star Week.
Nathan Thompson
Online M.S. in Sport Management, Spring ‘24 (Gators (UAA) External Events Assistant for the Florida Gators)
Education
Master of Education in Sports Administration (1976)
Biography
Jeremy Foley was named University of Florida’s director of athletics in 1992 and handled virtually every aspect of UF’s $119.3M athletic program during his athletic administrative career, which began with an internship in the Gator Ticket Office in 1979. Foley’s 25-year run as athletic director, at the time the second longest tenured AD in Division I, ended October 29, 2017, when he retired. He now serves as athletic director emeritus.
As CFO for the University Athletic Association, Foley spearheaded $307 million in capital improvement projects since 1999 and outlined a $100-million Master Facility plan before his retirement.
Foley’s commitment to the overall athletic program includes a plan of increased opportunities for women, as three women’s sports were added under his tenure — soccer, softball, and lacrosse. Also, in an era when many Division I schools were losing money on intercollegiate athletics, the University of Florida Athletic Association under Foley contributed more than $76M since 2006 to help fund UF academic endeavors.
UF was equally successful on the field of play and in the classroom during Foley’s administrative tenure. The UF athletic program ranked among the nation’s top 10 for 33 straight years, according to national all-sport rankings. UF also became the first program in collegiate history to own both the men’s basketball and football national titles in the same calendar year. Overall, UF won 27 NCAA titles and 130 SEC titles under his watch. Foley was named SportsBusiness Journal National Athletic Director of the Year in 2006.
… We discussed some really important issues in the field, and Mr. Foley offered a ton of influential perspective into his own experiences…I would absolutely recommend this to another student. I felt like the insight I gained into the life of an athletic director and how to make decisions with integrity was certainly worthwhile. I also enjoyed interacting with Mr. Foley and believe he genuinely wanted to help us in our careers.
Ben Vitello
Education
Bachelor of Science, Methodist University
Master of Science, Georgia State University
Biography
Becky Burleigh is a former American soccer coach, leading squads for 26 years and winning a National Championship with the Florida Gators in 1998. She now teaches and consults around the US, focusing on high performance sports. Drawing from her considerable expertise, she teaches in the areas of leadership, winning cultures, and conflict, among others. Burleigh is a 2024 inductee into the Florida Gators Hall of Fame.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Finance (1985)
Master of Education in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology/Positive Coaching and Leadership (2017)
Biography
Bastable is faculty at UF, where she teaches and manages the Director of Racquet Sports specialization, and director of Professional Tennis Management. Within the DORS program, she teaches two master’s courses and a certification course pertaining to educating people to be competent directors of racquet sports, equipped with the leadership and business skills needed to run clubs and programs. She also teaches the UF course Athlete-Centered Coaching and Leadership to help coaches create motivating and inspiring cultures that bring the best out of athletes — both on and off the court or field of play.
Before her role at UF, her consulting company, Vital Leadership, was dedicated to helping athletes improve their performance mindsets as well as inspiring coaches, junior sports programs, and schools to build motivating, athlete-centered sports environments. She’s passionate about reframing the purpose of sports participation, broadening the purpose from a focus on strong muscles, skills, and outcomes to one powerful enough to also build high-performance personal growth and development.
She was a No. 1-ranked Gator tennis player in the 1980s, earning NCAA All-America and All-SEC honors, and winning 3 SEC championships. She moved into coaching after her player career as the women’s assistant coach at the University of Kansas. She’s been a certified tennis pro for 35 years, working in leadership at country clubs and racquet clubs, including 10 years as director of Kansas City Junior Tennis League.
She holds a B.S. in Business from UF and a M.Ed. in Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology/Positive Coaching and Leadership from the University of Missouri. Other certifications earned include designation as a “Mental Game Coach” from Perk Performance Sports, “Mental Toughness Specialist” from the Human Performance Institute, and an Executive Certificate in Leadership from Notre Dame University. She is a USPTA Elite-level and PTR Professional-level certified pro.
She resides in Leawood, Kansas with her husband, Jack. They have six married children and 13 grandchildren.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in History (1996)
Juris Doctorate (1999)
Master of Science in Sport Management (2018)
Biography
Michelle Clemon, an experienced employment and labor law attorney and consultant with a background in human resources management, received her undergraduate degree in history from Yale University and her law degree from Columbia Law School. Michelle recently earned a master’s in sport management from the University of Florida, where her research interests included the intersection of elite athletes and social responsibility and the underrepresentation of minority football coaches at the intercollegiate and professional levels. Michelle is principal and owner of The Clemon Consulting Group, a consultancy which focuses on providing HR services (including contract review, workplace investigations, and workplace assessments) for companies and individuals as well as providing career planning/transition training to college and professional athletes. In addition to her responsibilities with the University of Florida, she is an adjunct instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she teaches a course on the African-American experience in sports. She also presents and provides legal and historical analysis around sports-related issues, including the discussion around athletes and social activism.
Bachelor of Arts, Oglethorpe University
Juris Doctor, University of Florida
Biography
Kristi Dosh is a former practicing attorney who now specializes in sports, including Name, Image, and Likeness. Dosh founded the SportsBizzMiss Enterprises, LLC in 2012. She writes for several outlets, including ESPN, the Sport Business Journal, and the Washington Post, among others. She is also a consultant with athletic departments and NIL collectives around the country, helping them successfully navigate the complex and dynamic NIL landscape.
To learn more about the University of Florida’s online master’s in sport management and download a free brochure, fill out the fields below. You can also call (877) 665-3860 to speak to one of our academic coordinators about the program.
The Athlete Development specialization qualifies students to pursue certification through the Professional Association of Athlete Development Specialists (PAADS).
