Former South Florida Athletic Director Doug Woolard died a few days ago, and the tributes to his life and legacy were the kind anyone would hope that people say about our lives.
He was praised as a builder who helped USF athletics take a big step forward. He served from 2004-2015.
On his watch, the university's athletics district was transformed with nearly $70 million in new or renovated facilities, including a nearly $36 million renovation of the USF Sun Dome. He was known and respected throughout college athletics.
Doug Woolard, father of Chris Woolard on my staff, passed away last night. The world lost a great man. Doug was the athletic director at Saint Louis and South Florida. He would often attend Mass with me when we were on the road, most recently joining me in the Bahamas. He was so…
— John Calipari (@CoachCalArk) October 31, 2026
The revenue growth Woolard helped generate allowed the athletic department to more than double its budget to $44 million -- a princely sum at a time when the median Division 1 athletic departrment budget around that time was about $30 million.
He also seemed like a good guy to work for. Multiple employees from that era took to Twitter to express his impact on their lives.
Doug Woolard was my boss at South Florida for years. He was good to me. I went from being a marketing coordinator to being an Associate Athletic Director during his tenure.
— Jim Louk (@USFjimlouk) November 1, 2026
He gave me my administrative chance.
I owe him a lot.
Prayers to his family.
I covered a lot of USF sports back then as columnist for The Tampa Tribune and had a good relationship with Doug, but it wasn't always easy. He was in charge when football coach Jim Leavitt was fired, and I had to write some pretty scathing stuff about what was going on there.
And in 2007, the Robert McCullom era as men's basketball coach seemed to be ending. The Bulls were under water, closing in on a fourth straight losing season under McCullum. I asked Doug if he was wiling to talk about that and he said yes.
I told my bosses to expect a McCullum column, but when I showed up Doug said he had changed his mind. I said OK, but then I'm going to mention in the column that we had this set up but you canceled it at the last minute -- which is what I wrote.
For the only time that I knew him, Doug let me know -- politely -- that he didn't appreciate the piece. I said I understood, but would do the same thing again.
It did not affect our relationship,
After retiring from USF, Doug was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer in 2021. About two years after that terrifying diagnosis, a revolutionary treatment at Miami Cancer Institute led doctors to announce there was no sign of the cancer in his body.
Doug was 76 when he died, and we wish his family and many friends peace as they process this. He knew what it was like to be in the arena during his life, and he showed it's possible to be there without being swallowed by the challenges. He handled everything with class and dignity and he will be remembered as one of the main building blocks for USF athletics.
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