In his seven years at the helm of Furman University’s athletics program, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Jason Donnelly has delivered bold new energy, innovation, and vision to Paladin Athletics, with an emphasis on a first-class student-athlete experience, academic achievement, record-breaking donor fundraising, significant capital projects, and enhanced alumni and external engagement strategies.
In recognition of these accomplishments, Donnelly was named the 2023–24 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Athletics Director of the Year. He joined Furman as Director of Athletics in 2019 and was promoted to Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics in 2022 while guiding the department through a period of historic growth and competitive success.
Donnelly provides strategic leadership for all aspects of Furman’s NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics program, creating high-performance environments that elevate competitive excellence and enrich the student-athlete experience while remaining closely aligned with the University’s mission. His portfolio reflects a proven record of operational excellence, innovative and engaging game-day experiences, revenue generation and corporate sponsorship growth, sport-specific fundraising and endowment advancement, long-range strategic planning, and facilities development—each grounded in a steadfast commitment to academic integrity, NCAA compliance, and sound financial stewardship.
Competitive Excellence and National Visibility
In recent years, Furman Athletics has emerged as one of the nation’s most successful NCAA Division I athletics departments by prioritizing academic and competitive excellence while positioning the department for sustainable success. Over the past seven years, Paladin teams have captured 36 conference championships, earned 47 NCAA and NIT postseason appearances, and can proudly boast of 39 NCAA All-Americans, 23 Players of the Year, and 22 Coaches of the Year. Furman has finished as the top-ranked Southern Conference institution in the national Learfield Directors’ Cup in seven of the past nine years and was ranked among the Top 100 Division I athletic departments nationally in 2025.
Since Donnelly’s arrival in 2019, Paladin Athletics has experienced one of the most dynamic periods in department history. Highlights include 13 consecutive Southern Conference championships by the men’s and women’s cross country programs—one of the longest active championship streaks in the nation—Furman Football’s first outright Southern Conference title in 30 years in 2023, the men’s soccer program’s first-ever NCAA College Cup appearance in 2025, and national acclaim in women’s golf with Natalie Srinivasan earning 2020 National Player of the Year honors after winning both the ANNIKA Award and the PING WGCA Player of the Year.
Men’s Basketball delivered one of the most visible moments in Furman Athletics history in 2023, winning the Southern Conference Tournament and earning its first NCAA Tournament berth in more than four decades, highlighted by a historic first-round victory over the University of Virginia. In 2022–23, Furman was the only institution in the nation to record NCAA postseason victories in both football and men’s basketball during the same academic year.
Academic Achievement and Student-Athlete Success
Furman Athletics’ competitive success is matched by a long-standing tradition of academic excellence. During the 2024–25 academic year, 305 student-athletes were named to the Southern Conference and Big South Academic Honor Rolls, while Furman student-athletes posted a combined GPA of 3.33 and extended the department’s streak of cumulative GPAs above 3.0 to 12 consecutive semesters. Thirty-six student-athletes earned perfect 4.0 GPAs.
Furman’s 96% Graduation Success Rate included nine programs posting perfect marks of 100, while the department recorded a 993 Academic Progress Rate, with 14 programs above the national average and seven earning perfect multi-year APR scores of 1,000. In 2023, Inside Higher Education recognized Furman as the Academic Achievement Champion among NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament participants.
Transformational Fundraising and Facilities Development
Under Donnelly’s leadership, Furman Athletics has experienced transformational growth in fundraising and revenue generation. The launch of the donor-centric Furman Athletics Fund in 2021 fueled three consecutive record-breaking fundraising years and resulted in a 185% increase in annual giving compared to the previous four years. In 2023 alone, Furman Athletics raised more than $19 million from nearly 3,000 donors and secured 33 six- and seven-figure gifts, including the largest gift in department history—a $10 million commitment towards the $40 million donor-funded renovation of Timmons Arena.
Timmons Arena, the signature athletics initiative of the Clearly Furman Capital Campaign, is a reimagined state-of-the-art basketball facility that opened in Fall 2025. Additional donor-funded projects include the Davis & Faxon Training Facility for men’s and women’s golf, renovations to Paladin Stadium, expanded basketball offices and locker rooms, upgraded student-athlete performance spaces, and comprehensive improvements to game-day amenities across campus. Paladins Athletics also achieved record-breaking endowment growth with its commitment to funding athletics scholarship in support of student athletes.
Engagement, Growth, and Strategic Leadership
Furman Athletics has also experienced unprecedented growth in fan engagement, attendance, and visibility. Donnelly implemented significant changes to the gameday experience, including the “Furman Fan Zone” and student tailgating inside Paladin Stadium, leading to a 40% increase in gameday attendance since 2021. Men’s basketball ticket revenue increased by 390% and season ticket holder accounts increased by 37%, highlighted by multiple sellouts and record crowds since 2023. Digital and social media engagement surged dramatically, contributing to more than $41 million in earned media value following men’s basketball’s championship and NCAA Tournament success in 2023.
Furman Athletics has expanded strategic external partnerships, including agreements with Van Wagner Collegiate Services as the department’s multimedia rights partner and The Fan, Upstate South Carolina’s top-rated sports talk station and flagship home of Paladin football and men’s basketball. An enhanced partnership with Bon Secours Wellness Arena positioned Furman to co-host multiple NCAA Basketball Tournament events, including the 2022 men’s first and second rounds, which generated a net $11 million economic impact for the city of Greenville, the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Regionals, and the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first and second rounds in downtown Greenville.
Donnelly successfully guided the department through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic while positioning Furman for long-term success through the launch of Inspiring Greatness: Furman Athletics Strategic Plan 2022–26. The plan emphasizes student-athlete well-being, academic excellence, financial sustainability, competitive success, and best-in-class facilities, while expanding the department’s marketing, branding, and engagement efforts.
Leadership, Recognition, and National Service
A defining trait of Donnelly’s leadership is his ability to build strong relationships with student-athletes, coaches and staff. He has a proven history of hiring, developing, and retaining successful head coaches and executive leaders, while investing in character, culture and talent. Central to this success is the Furman Family culture he has cultivated – rooted in trust, shared values and accountability – which fosters belonging and long-term retention across the department.
Under his leadership, Furman student-athletes, coaches, and staff have earned numerous conference and national honors, including National Players of the Year and National Coach of the Year. With a consistent focus on performance and potential, Donnelly’s tenure has produced an extraordinary record that underscores Furman’s national impact and sustained excellence, especially as one of the nation’s smallest Division I institutions.
A graduate of Furman’s Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative, Donnelly has served as the chair of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Competition Committee and the chair of the Southern Conference Athletics Directors committee, as well as serving as a member of the FCS Football Regional Advisory Committee. Through visionary leadership, collaborative partnerships, and an unwavering commitment to excellence, Jason Donnelly continues to advance Furman Athletics as a nationally respected model for competitive success, academic achievement, and institutional advancement.
----------
Prior to arriving at Furman, Donnelly spent 15 years at Villanova University, serving as senior associate athletics director and executive director of athletics development. Prior to that role, he served as director of athletics development and oversaw the Villanova Athletics Fund, managing fundraising and external support for all 24 varsity sports. Over his final four years at Villanova, he helped raise more than $120 million for Wildcat Athletics, including three consecutive record-breaking fundraising years representing a 330% increase in dollars raised, and led the fundraising effort for the $65 million Finneran Pavilion renovation, the university’s largest 100% donor funded capital program, and the creation of the “Nova Points” donor support system.
Before moving to administration, Donnelly served the Villanova men’s basketball program in a number of capacities, including as an assistant men’s basketball coach, director of basketball operations, and special assistant to Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Jay Wright, the AP men’s college basketball coach of the decade. During his decade on the Wildcats’ bench, Villanova Basketball made nine NCAA Tournament appearances, including runs to the 2006 Elite Eight and 2009 Final Four, also winning national championships in 2016 and 2018 as men’s basketball sport administrator.
Prior to Villanova, Donnelly was a teacher and basketball coach at Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington, Virginia, as well as an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team at Muhlenberg College, his alma mater. He also served as a long-time camp commissioner and coach for Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Morgan Wootten from DeMatha High School and was the director of basketball operations for USA Basketball at the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil.
A native of Colonia, New Jersey, Donnelly graduated from Muhlenberg in 1999, where he played and coached varsity basketball, was Vice President of the Student Body, orientation committee leader, and was the Class of 1999 student commencement speaker. He also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from Villanova in 2019.
Donnelly and his wife, Rachel, a native of Bakersville, North Carolina, a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Villanova, have three children—Aidan, Raeyln, and Allister.
