Utah Athletics Announces New Alignment for Athletics Development and NIL Strategy

SALT LAKE CITY -- University of Utah Director of Athletics Mark Harlan announced today that long-time senior administrator and Crimson Club Hall of Famer Manny Hendrix will take on an enhanced role with the department as Senior Associate A.D. for Alumni Engagement and Strategy. In addition, Rob Clark, Jr., will join Utah Athletics as Associate A.D. for Development, and Director of Major Gifts Gavin Van Wagoner will see his title change to Assistant A.D. for NIL and Major Gifts.

Hendrix will use his considerable experience and relationships to serve as a critical conduit for Utah's student-athlete alumni community to be strategically tethered to the Athletics Department. His role also will place him in position to lead various priority initiatives within the organization.

"This is a very exciting opportunity for Utah Athletics to have Manny strengthen our relationships with our student-athlete alumni and move us forward in our overall strategy and direction for our department," said Mark Harlan, Director of Athletics. "He is so well-suited and excited for this opportunity, which also will position him to remain close to the Development team, particularly in terms of donor stewardship. His enormous passion for our mission will enable us to continue to thrive in the community."

"I'm also excited to welcome Rob Clark, Jr., to lead our Development team, and to expand Gavin Van Wagoner's role to optimize and elevate our approach to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL)," Harlan added. "These moves will significantly enhance the experience for our amazing student-athletes and set a strong path forward for Utah Athletics."

Hendrix came back to Utah Athletics in 1994 after a six-year playing career with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. The former Utah men's basketball standout earned his bachelor's degree in speech communications from the U, and was a three-time team captain for the Utes. He earned team MVP and All-WAC honors as a senior in 1984-85, and was inducted into the U's Crimson Club Hall of Fame in 2005.

"I've been very fortunate to work in several different leadership roles and take on a variety of responsibilities over the years with Utah Athletics," Hendrix said. "It has truly been a labor of love for me, and all of those experiences have prepared me well for this new appointment. I'm thankful to Mark and looking forward to working closely with him in this new position to really enhance what we're doing to build a tremendous future for Utah Athletics."

Originally serving as Director of Athletic Relations to help Utah's student-athletes adjust to university life, Hendrix also developed the "Partnering with U." program to create career internship and job shadowing opportunities for Utah's student-athletes, and led the Ute Varsity Club. He also worked with Utah's NCAA CHAMPS/Lifeskills program and student recruitment, and assisted the vice president for university relations with community-related activities.

Clark, Jr., joins the Utah Athletics team as Associate A.D. for Development after spending the past two years as Deputy Athletics Director for Development at San Jose State. In his role he will oversee Utah's major gifts and annual fund strategy, and play a critical role in the future growth of the department.

"It is an honor to return home to Utah," Clark, Jr., said. "I'm thrilled to work for, and with, Mark as well as our exceptional coaches and staff. Together, with the help of Utah alumni and friends, we will elevate the donor experience and further invest in our student-athletes."

Prior to his appointment at SJSU in April 2020, Clark, Jr., had served as Executive Senior Associate A.D. at Long Beach State and Senior Assoc. A.D. at Georgia State. He also has previous experience at New Mexico, Angelo State and Texas A&M. A native of Salt Lake City, Clark, Jr., played football at Utah State and Occidental College, and earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Occidental and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M.

Van Wagoner, now in his fourth year with Utah Athletics, will take on a new position that will generate additional opportunities for Utah's student-athletes in the NIL space. His position reflects the integral role he has played, working collaboratively with Associate A.D. for Administration Jeff Rudy, in helping to maximize business opportunities through NIL since the launch of Utah's Elevate U NIL program in June 2021. As Assistant A.D. for NIL and Major Gifts, Van Wagoner will assume overall leadership of the department's outbound external NIL efforts.

"I'm incredibly grateful to Mark, CFO John Jentz and COO Charmelle Green for this opportunity to continue building Utah's amazing NIL program," Van Wagoner said. "I look forward to continuing to work in close alignment with Jeff Rudy, and the incredible work he has been doing in this space, to create even greater opportunities to innovate within the department, and engage the business community and all who support Utah Athletics to help student-athletes maximize their NIL aspirations."

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Utah Athletics Announces New Alignment for Athletics Development and NIL Strategy

Completed Event: General versus Arizona on January 18, 2002

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on November 30, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus San Diego St on November 17, 2001 , Win , 166, to, 120

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 114, to, 117

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 189.5

Completed Event: General at Oregon St on October 26, 2001 , Loss , 89, to, 116

Completed Event: General versus Utah St on October 23, 2001 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000 , Loss , 82, to, 120

Completed Event: General versus UNLV on November 10, 2000

The University of Utah Athletics

Utah Athletics Announces New Alignment for Athletics Development and NIL Strategy

Related News

Related Videos