Former Dolphins, Marlins Exec Takes Head of UCF’s DeVos Sports Business Management Program

Former Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins executive Adrian Bouchet was recently named director of the DeVos Sports Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida. Bouchet’s hiring follows the retirement of sports industry pioneer, author and activist Richard Lapchick, who helped put the 20-year-old program on the map. Bouchet, who spent 12 years at the University of Tulsa, takes over an internationally ranked program that offers a pipeline of talent in the sports business industry.

“Of course I knew about Richard Lapchick. We were reading his books in class, and I knew it was a very prestigious program. Over the years, DeVos has been recognized as the top sports business program in America.” Wall Street Journal, New York Times And Forbes magazine. The program is ranked eighth in the world Sports business 2022 at the graduate level.

The DeVos program offers students the opportunity to earn a Masters in Sports Business Management and an MBA. A minor is also available. The program is home to the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports (TIDES), which annually publishes race and gender report cards for professional, collegiate and amateur sports. The widely publicized report cards help leagues hold their diverse and inclusive staff accountable.

Prior to joining UCF, Bouchet was an endowed professor of sports business at the Warren Clinic in Tulsa. He was a Fulbright Fellow (Portugal) and a Research Fellow at the North American Sports Management Association. In the year In 2015, he received the MAYO Excellence in Research Award from the University of Tulsa. He and a co-author were awarded a Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics grant to study spending increases in NCAA athletics, and their conference paper was the basis for an article on ESPN.com. Prior to joining the academy, he served as Marketing Partnerships Manager for the NFL’s Dolphins and Senior Manager of Marketing Partnerships for Major League Baseball’s Marlins. He also did sports for SFX/Clear Channel Entertainment (now LiveNation) and ISP/Learfield College.

Bouchet’s industry experience and academic background make him an ideal candidate for the position. “We are very fortunate to have Dr. Bouchet join us to lead the DeVos program. Paul Jarley, dean of the UCF College of Business, which hosts the DeVos program, incorporates the same academic and industry experience that has been a hallmark of its success. I am confident that he will work with a variety of people in industry and at UCF to ensure that our graduates have the attitudes and skills they need to become the next generation of leaders in managing sports enterprises.

Bouchet said his goal is to ensure that the DeVos Sports Business Management program prepares students to compete in the highly competitive sports industry by preparing them to rank among the top programs in the world.

“My goal is to continue DeVos’ international reputation and be a resource for its students and alumni,” says Bouchet, who will present the Dean’s Speaker Series at the Citrus Club on Thursday, Oct. 20. Bouchet talks about UCF’s transition to the Big 12 and the impact of conference realignment on UCF athletics and the landscape of college football. Breakfast and parking included. Register today.