Fanatics has named Tommy Gray senior vice president of its College division, tasking him with leading collegiate partnership teams across e-commerce, venue retail, and wholesale, while fostering strategic relationships with partners such as Nike, Barnes & Noble, CLC, and OneTeam Partners. He will be based in the company’s Atlanta office and report to Derek Eiler, executive vice president of the College division.
“I’m thrilled to be joining such a strong team within one of the most dynamic companies in sports,” said Gray. “Fanatics has demonstrated an inspiring commitment and sense of urgency, especially over the past few years, with respect to enhancing the fan experience and supporting athletes. I’m excited to help our college partners, and especially the fans, alumni, and student-athletes they serve, reap the benefits of that commitment and urgency.”
Most recently, Gray spent the past two years at Altius Sports Partners, a NIL and strategy consulting agency for college athletics, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his appointment as the company’s CEO. During his time there, Gray and the Altius team worked with more than 50 universities, including Notre Dame, Georgia, Michigan, Clemson, Florida, USC, and LSU.
“Tommy has a rare blend of institutional knowledge and market expertise, and we’re thrilled to have him join our College team at Fanatics,” said Eiler. “His experience as a practitioner within a premier athletic department and advising dozens of universities on NIL at a leading college-centric agency gives him a unique perspective that will prove invaluable as we help our partners navigate this rapidly evolving landscape and unlock new revenue opportunities through the Fanatics’ platform.”
Fanatics partners with 70 percent of Power 4 Conference schools for e-commerce, operates two of the largest collegiate wholesale merchandise businesses via Nike and Fanatics Brands and manages the largest NIL program in the jersey and trading card categories.
“Tommy is a great hire by Fanatics; he knows the dynamics of working on campus, plus has real-time experience in navigating the modern era of revenue generation in college athletics. He is a great addition to our long-standing partnership with Fanatics,” said Graham Neff, director of Athletics at Clemson University.
Prior to Altius Sports Partners, Gray spent nearly nine years at Stanford University in external-facing leadership roles, including Deputy Athletics Director. He also spent several years at Kraft Sports Group, where he led Market Research & Strategy, supporting revenue-generating initiatives across the group’s portfolio, including the New England Patriots, New England Revolution, special events at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots ProShop, and Patriot Place.
Image courtesy Fanatics
