One of One
Baylor University announced the hiring of Doug McNamee, B.A. ’03, M.S.Ed. ’05, as the Bears’ next vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics. McNamee was welcomed back to campus by a packed house in the Mark and Paula Hurd Welcome Center Dec. 8, 2025.
Bringing nearly 30 years of diverse, executive experience, McNamee is a tailored fit balancing athletics administration and corporate, brand and media expertise.
Deeply rooted in Waco and the Baylor Family, McNamee has worked his way up the ranks from an undergraduate student manager for the Baylor men’s basketball team to senior leadership in Baylor Athletics, then to president of Magnolia and most recently as president of Field and Stream, reviving and reimagining the brand.
The following excerpts are from the introductory Q&A panel with President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., moderated by Derek Smith, M.A. ’05.
On Preparation and Readiness
McNamee: “These last seven years provided incredible, invaluable experience that is absolutely essential to the work that I think we have to do moving forward. Had I not left, I wouldn’t be prepared for this moment.”
On Mission and Leadership
Livingstone: “Anytime we hire a senior leader, but really anyone on our campus, we are looking for someone who is deeply committed to our Christian mission and wants to strengthen that mission and live it out through what they do, but also through whatever part
of the organization that they’re leading.”
On Competing and Impact
Livingstone: “We want to be competitive at the highest levels. If we’re in the mix for championships in the Big 12, we will be in the mix for national championships as well. At the same time, we want to be a model for how you can run an athletics program in this new world that we’re in and win and get students through the graduation pipeline and get them to retain.”
On Listening and Serving Fans
McNamee: “You do what you say you’re going to do, you listen, you ask the fans how we can continue to get better. You are always working to serve them well. We need to grow the Baylor brand, and we need that brand to be national, international and continue to be strong and continue to increase the size of our community. If we do that, everything else will take care of itself.”
On Winning and Culture
McNamee: “Make no mistake about it — I’m competitive. I want us to win. We’re going to hire the best, keep the best and support our coaches and student-athletes to win.”
On Baylor’s Mission
McNamee: “You can’t just accept the mission — you must embrace it. Who we are is what we do. And I think it’s an incredible advantage that we don’t just accept — we lean into and we own, and it gives us the opportunity to do things no other institution can do.”
On Faith and Excellence
Livingstone: “We want to be a light for Christ in the world of Power Four Athletics. The best way to do that is to be really good — because when you’re really good, people want to hear your story.”
On Baylor’s Unique Advantage
McNamee: “Baylor has three incredibly important, distinct advantages. The first thing I would say is its location. We are in the absolute ideal location to attract great student-athletes and to be close to our fans. The second thing I would say is we have a university which has shown an incredible unwavering commitment to support athletics at a level that I don’t think many athletic departments can relate to. And then third, but probably most importantly to Baylor’s unique advantage, there are 68 schools in the Power 4. Of those 68 schools, 64 are R1 institutions. Four of those 64 schools are officially religiously affiliated. Two are the Catholic schools, one is our friends in the LDS church with BYU, and then there’s us. We are officially one of one.”
For more information and updates from Baylor Athletics, visit baylorbears.com. To view the Q&A in its entirety, visit the Baylor+ content platform.