DePaul’s Board of Trustees has approved and agreed to terms with Vice President and Director of Athletics, DeWayne Peevy on a multi-year contract extension that will keep him around until at least June 30, 2027.

“DeWayne was one of the first people I met when I joined the DePaul community last year. It quickly became clear that his vision for athletics and DePaul as a whole will elevate our entire university,” DePaul President Robert L. Manuel said in a statement. “I’m pleased the board agreed with my recommendation to extend DeWayne’s multi-year contract.” 

After a 12-year tenure in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) with the Kentucky Wildcats, including seven years as the Deputy Director of Athletics, Peevy became DePaul’s ninth Director of Athletics and recently completed his third year in this role, having been appointed in August 2020. 

Peevy’s success led to his appointment to the President’s Cabinet and promotion to vice president and director of athletics in July 2021.

“I look forward to continuing working with our students, coaches, faculty and staff to raise the national prominence of DePaul, develop an engaging and rewarding campus atmosphere, further our mission and continue to enhance our self-generated revenues to benefit all of DePaul,” Peevy said in a statement. “I am incredibly proud to be at DePaul and lead the Blue Demons towards historic growth and success.”  

Peevy has taken on the role of leading DePaul’s athletics department, utilizing his experience in fundraising, strategic planning, revenue growth, media relations and basketball operations. 

In the summer of 2021, he introduced his vision for the future of DePaul Athletics, which is most known as the DREAM BIG Strategic Plan. 

His vision represents a thorough five-year strategic plan for the department, with the overarching goals of building a competitive culture at DePaul and raising its status within the Big East Conference. At the same time, the plan also aims to amplify the university’s presence and influence in the greater Chicago area.

Peevy’s influence on the university has not gone unnoticed, and since his initial arrival, the athletics program has made substantial progress in building a completely new culture. 

This includes the hiring of former Oregon head coach Tony Stubblefield, the commitment of top 20 recruit Aneesah Morrow (prior to her transfer to LSU), and most recently, the successful recruitment of former five-star recruit Elijah Fisher from Texas Tech, all of which have garnered significant attention.

DePaul Athletics, under Peevy’s leadership, has successfully acquired the essential resources to fully support scholarships for all 15 sports up to the NCAA’s maximum allowance.

In his first year at DePaul, Peevy achieved the department’s fourth-highest fundraising amount, totaling $3.05 million. In his second year, he surpassed this accomplishment by raising an even larger sum of $4.07 million in the next fiscal year.

In addition to fundraising, Peevy heavily focused on enhancing ticket sales and revenue during his first few years at DePaul. This led  to the Blue Demons achieving its first ever sellout at Wintrust Arena on Saturday, Jan. 28 against Marquette, along with attaining the highest season ticket renewal rate in the history of the facility.

The contract extension for Peevy was expected, as the university has supported his vision and commitment to the future since his arrival. 

Peevy’s extension aligns with the school’s recent announcement of a $60 million on-campus basketball practice facility. The expectation for university and athletics is that this facility will be a significant incentive for improving both the men’s and women’s basketball programs.