MORGANTOWN, W.V. – Evan Hawkins has been named general manager for locally based Mountaineer Sports Properties, as announced today by West Virginia University’s athletics multimedia rightsholder, Learfield IMG College.
Hawkins officially joins the Mountaineer Sports Properties team on November 16. He is a seasoned college sports sales and marketing professional, having previously served on the dedicated multimedia rights teams representing North Carolina, Northern Illinois, Houston, Rice and Troy athletic departments, respectively. Hawkins’ 12-year career has been spent entirely within the Learfield IMG College portfolio.
He will relocate to the area from Chapel Hill, where he has been serving five years as senior manager, business development for Learfield IMG College’s Tar Heel Sports Properties team representing University of North Carolina. Prior to that, Hawkins was general manager for the company’s Northern Illinois property representing the Huskies. He was an associate general manager for the rights teams supporting the Houston Cougars and Rice Owls as well.
Hawkins, as primary Learfield IMG College liaison, will work closely with West Virginia Director of Athletics and Associate Vice President Shane Lyons and Senior Associate Athletics Director, External Affairs Matt Wells on all aspects of the rights relationship. Hawkins began his career in collegiate sports marketing at Troy University, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has an MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
“We look forward to welcoming Evan to the Mountaineer family,” said Lyons. “We have a tremendously successful partnership with Learfield IMG College, and I thank them for providing us with a strong pool of candidates for the position. I also want to congratulate Evan for emerging as the top choice from a talented group of finalists. We look forward to working with him in continuing to strengthen our brand and partnership with Learfield IMG College.”
“Evan is a true professional, and he is more than qualified to lead our Mountaineer Sports Properties team,” said Learfield IMG College Multi-Media Rights Vice President East Region Tim Utrup. “We’re excited to have him in Morgantown as he has an incredible amount of experience to lend, adding to the already great things we’re doing with Shane and his athletic administration to extend the West Virginia University brand.”
“I’d like to thank Shane and Matt for this tremendous opportunity to join their team and the Morgantown community, and I look forward to building strong relationships and strategic partnerships at West Virginia University for the years to come,” said Hawkins. “I also want to thank Learfield IMG College for trusting me to lead at such a prestigious Power 5 university. I’m excited to join the Mountaineer Sports Properties team and represent one of the most passionate fanbases in the country.”
Learfield IMG College is the leading media and technology services company in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions for fan engagement. The Learfield IMG College suite of services includes licensing and multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics; ticketing, ticket sales and professional concessions expertise; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, the company has long had the privilege of being an advocate for intercollegiate athletics and the student-athlete experience. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield IMG College Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.