It is not unusual for an NFL alum to have a larger impact on his collegiate alma mater than on the league itself.
Notre Dame grad Ron Powlus is just one example. He was a four-year starting quarterback for the Irish from 1994-97. He was a two-time captain who set 20 school records at Notre Dame. However, his more significant influence would be felt on campus years later.
Powlus was not selected in the 1998 NFL Draft largely due to injuries in college which hurt his potential as a professional quarterback. The 6-3 Pennsylvania native was signed as a rookie free agent by the Titans (aka Oilers) in 1998 but did not make the regular season roster. The Rams signed him to their practice squad but later also let him go. He was on the Lions preseason roster in 1999 but never played in an NFL regular season game. He finished his NFL career as an Eagles backup in the second half of the 2000 season.
Powlus first returned to Notre Dame as the football team’s director of personnel development in 2005. He later turned to coaching in South Bend, the University of Akron and, lastly, the University of Kansas under head coach Charlie Weis. The Irish welcomed him back into its athletic department in an administrative position in 2015.
An announcement last week out of Notre Dame recognized the work Powlus has been performing for more than a decade. He was named the athletic department’s first Chief Operating Officer in school history. His day-to-day oversight of the football program and the department’s NIL division remains unchanged. In his new role, he will add staff plus administrative and internal areas such as budget, scheduling, facilities and non-coaching personnel.
“Moving Ron into the Chief Operating Officer role will bring the amazing leadership that he’s consistently exhibited with our football program to the entire athletic department,” says Pete Bevacqua, the school’s athletic director. “I couldn’t be more excited to see how Ron leads his new division and how our leadership team coalesces and moves us into the future at full speed. The college athletic ecosystem is changing at the fastest rate in its history, and this reorganization will give us the best opportunity to continue to provide an authentic and rewarding Notre Dame student-athlete experience.”
Powlus, 51, is looking forward to the new challenges at this stage of his front office career.
“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to continue serving this great university,” Powlus says. “Notre Dame is a special place for me and my family (wife Sara and two sons). I am energized to work with such outstanding student athletes and staff who are joined in our shared mission of excellence.”
Ron Powlus represents many of us who never made the Pro Bowl as players but later contributed by giving back to our colleges and communities. We at NFL Alumni salute the thousands of you who fit into that category.
