DETROIT — Do you believe in miracles?

Rob Fournier, who will be celebrating his fifth anniversary as athletics director at Wayne State University in August, may not believe in miracles, but by all measures his efforts to build a winning athletic program may come close.
Consider:

• Moving up more than 100 places in five years to rank 25 out of 285 teams in the 2005 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Cup (WSU athletics never before cracked 100 in its history).

• Leading the program to its best finish in the GLIAC\'s President\'s Trophy standings since the 1984-85 academic year.

• Receiving the five largest company-sponsored gifts in the history of WSU athletics, including $11 million from Tom Adams ’44.

• Sporting a new 85-foot electronic marquee along the Lodge Freeway, and new scoreboards for baseball and football, video board for swimming, green monster wall for baseball, parquet basketball floor, softball grandstands, football press box, and new paint and signage everywhere.

• Building a $1.2 million men’s football locker room.

• Getting 10 of 17 WSU athletic teams to national tournaments this year, including four of five spring sports teams.

• Launching a Web site (wsuathletics.com) and magazine, Warrior Within.

• Increasing the number of student-athletes who receive degrees.

• Securing radio and television contracts for football and men’s basketball.
“Rob is highly organized, knows how to create efficiencies and has a high level of integrity,” says Tom Kirinovic, athletic director, Ferris State University.

Tim Selgo, athletic director at Grand Valley State University, says WSU’s athletic teams are more competitive: “Rob has done a terrific job. He has good communication skills and always does what‘s in WSU’s best interest.”

Marketing is Fournier’s passion. Game promotions are designed to attract a wider base of community support and offer more entertainment options. “When you attend our football games, you’ll see a band, a theme, giveaways and pageantry,” Fournier says. “Pageantry is what college football is all about.”

Fournier learned the value of hard work growing up. His mother died while he was in the sixth grade, leaving him to be raised by his father. The lessons his father taught him about persistence and the value of hard work have carried over into his adult life. “My father taught me if you get knocked down, you get back up and work hard every single day,” he says. “I am fortunate I can work. I always need to see something getting better.”

Before joining Wayne State, Fournier was the senior associate commissioner and general counsel for the Mid-American Conference, where he moved the league office from Toledo to Cleveland, wrote and secured a long-term contract for the men’s basketball tournament at the Gund Arena and secured the three largest corporate gifts in the history of the MAC including First Energy as the tournament sponsor for men’s basketball. Fournier previously served as assistant athletic director at the University of Akron, his alma mater, and taught courses in communication and criminal justice. A licensed attorney, Fournier received his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and his master’s with honors from the University of Akron. Fournier received his law degree from the University of Akron in 1986 and was admitted to the Ohio bar that same year.

Visit http://wsuathletics.collegesports.com/genrel/120104aaa.html to view the WSU Department of Athletics’ top 100 accomplishments for 2003-2004.

Contact the WSU Public Relations home page for university experts and news updates: http://www.media.wayne.edu