UC Davis Athletic Director Kevin Blue steps down, Rocko DeLuca will take over

The University of California, Davis announced Thursday morning Athletic Director Kevin Blue resigned from his position effective December 31.

Blue plans to join Golf Canada in his hometown of Toronto as chief sport officer. He will lead the national sport development and high-performance programs for golf in Canada, from the Olympics team to the grassroots junior participation programs.

“I’m immensely grateful for all Kevin has achieved for UC Davis. In just under 5 years, Kevin has led a transformational change in Athletics,” May said in a news release. “The organization has thrived under Kevin’s leadership. The opportunity with Golf Canada is ideal for him in many ways, and I know he’ll do exciting work there.”

Deputy Athletics Director Rocko DeLuca will step in as interim athletics director once Blue departs for Canada.

“I am honored that Chancellor May has asked me to take on this position and look forward to supporting our coaches, staff and student-athletes during our time of transition,” DeLuca said in the release. “I want to thank Kevin for his leadership and vision. It’s been a great experience to work alongside him. UC Davis Athletics has tremendous momentum and I will work to ensure we continue to build upon our successful foundation.”

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May plans to establish a national search committee in the next few weeks with the goal of bringing on a new athletic director early in 2021..