DeWayne Peev with his wife Allison, son Braden, and daughter Kaitlyn (Photo by Mark Cornelison | Staff)
DeWayne Peevy has spent more than a decade as one of the top athletic administrators at the University of Kentucky. Now he gets a shot at running his own administration.
Peevy was named athletics at DePaul and will be formally introduced at a press conference Tuesday in Chicago.
Peevy has been deputy director of athletics since 2013 and has assisted Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart with strategic planning, key fundraising and public relations initiatives within the athletics department. Peevy has been in charge of communications, fundraising and day-to-day operations within the athletics department.
He plans to instill “so many of the values” he learned at Kentucky in his new position at DePaul.
“I will miss ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’” Peevy said. “College athletics have been my heartbeat for as long as I can remember. From the University of Montevallo, my time at the Gulf South Conference and Southeastern Conference, and most recently at the University of Kentucky, watching young men and women grow and compete has been the center of my universe. At UK, I was unbelievably fortunate to fulfill that passion and enjoy the privilege to play a small part in the lives of our student-athletes.
“If that alone was the impact Kentucky had on our lives, it would be worth it alone. But perhaps more than that, we are leaving family. Lexington has become our home. My wife, Allison, and I have raised our kids, Kaitlyn and Braden, in Lexington. We’ve been embraced – and become a part of – Big Blue Nation. The relationships we have built at Kentucky will last a lifetime. For us to walk away from that is difficult, but we do so knowing that we will always be a part of BBN and will keep a close eye on the success of the Wildcats.”
Barnhart said Peevy is ready to lead his own administration.
“DeWayne is already a well-respected leader in college athletics as he has shown the ability to be effective in numerous areas of athletics administration. At UK, his impact will be felt for years to come and we will be able to enjoy the memories of the successes in our program we experienced together.
“We’re excited for him and look forward to seeing him grow the program at DePaul. On the personal side, Connie and I definitely will miss the Peevys, as they have become ingrained in the fabric of our family and UK Athletics during their 12 years here.”
Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari said DePaul is getting “a gatherer, a listener, a consensus builder and an idea man who gathers the right people in place to execute” and will be missed in Lexington.
“DeWayne is not only a colleague, but he’s also become a dear friend,” Calipari said. “It’s why I have a lot of mixed emotions today. I know the impact he had here and what we are losing, but more importantly, as a friend and as someone who knows he’s long overdue for this opportunity, I’m just so happy for him. He deserves this. DeWayne is someone I trust wholeheartedly, to the point where he became the center of our scheduling and worked hand-in-hand with me on just about everything we do.
“It made it so that he and I talked every day, oftentimes multiple times a day. Both Mitch and I trusted him to care about these kids and be about the program, and we knew he would do it with great integrity. …
“I can’t wait to see what happens for the athletic department at DePaul and for DeWayne personally.”
By KEITH TAYLOR, Kentucky Today
* * *
Keith Taylor is sports editor for Kentucky Today. Reach him at keith.taylor@kentuckytoday.com or twitter @keithtaylor21.
