NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Decades ago, Roger Denny’s mother considered it inevitable that her gifted son someday would become an athletic director at a major college program.
Back in 2005, the man who eventually would take over at Oklahoma was a first-year law student at Saint Louis University attending the Final Four. Denny grew up in North Carolina and was a Tar Heels fan, so he took advantage of the national title game between Illinois and North Carolina being in town.
As Denny tells it, the family walked into the Edward Jones Dome and encountered then-North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour.
His mom, Debi, seized the moment.
“My mom, God bless her, told Dick Baddour in that moment that I was going to have his job some day,” Denny said.
It didn’t happen exactly as mom predicted, but she was right about one thing for certain — her son was going places. With Debi in the crowd, Denny was announced Wednesday as Oklahoma’s 12th athletic director.
Denny, 43, spent 15 years as a practicing corporate attorney with a focus on executive compensation, tax, corporate finance and licensing. Even as his success grew, he kept athletics in the back of his mind.
“I spent 15 years training for this job without knowing I was training for it,” he said. “I loved the practice of law. I love my partners, loved what I was doing, but … I never felt the fulfillment or satisfaction. No matter how many boxes I checked or what I accomplished, I just always knew college sports was where I wanted to be.”
Denny spent the past 4 1/2 years in the Illinois athletic department. As deputy athletic director, he was in charge of business operations for the athletic department and the administrator for the Illinois football program.
Oklahoma special advisor Randall Stephenson said Denny’s path made him a perfect fit for the job description.
“As you step back and look at that, you see this is a very different kind of individual that we’re looking for to come in and fill this role,” Stephenson said. “And so therefore, we said we probably need to take a very different approach on how we go about finding this individual.”
As the college sports landscape changed, his skill set began to match up with his mother’s vision. Now, Denny is taking over one of the nation’s elite athletic programs. The Sooners won 26 national championships under Joe Castiglione, whose tenure began in 1998.
Denny likes the challenge of trying to maintain that success in a new environment as he works with Oklahoma president Joseph Harroz Jr.
“When you hear the university president use the word dynasty, that’s when you get really excited, and that’s what we’re here for,” he said.
Now that he has found his dream job in a roundabout way, Denny feels he can find that fulfillment at an ideal place.
“I’ve been asked a few times why Oklahoma?” he said. “To me, that’s the easiest question I’ll get all day. It’s Oklahoma. … there’s only one of these.”
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
What the Constitution Means to Me Read moreWhat The Constitution Means To Me
Join us for community fun! Free antique and collectible appraisals by Clars Auction. Over 30… Read moreMillbrae Senior Showcase
Imagine the rock and roll of Jimi Hendrix, the wild abandon of Janis Joplin’s vocals, and th… Read morePacifica Performances presents…Dirty Cello
Dirk van Ulden said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.