Joe Harroz:
Hi, I’m Joe Harroz, President of the University of Oklahoma. I want to welcome you to Conversations with the President. This platform gives me the chance to talk to some of the great people who make OU so special. Make sure you subscribe so you’ll be the first to know when new episodes are released.
Let’s get started.
Welcome to this episode of Conversations with the President. This has been one that has been long in the making and one that truly is important to the foundation of the university. From the very beginning — tracing our way through Benny Owens all the way to today — athletics has been absolutely critical to who we are.
We talk in our strategic plan about being excellent and affordable, and creating a place full of connection. There’s nothing that connects us like athletics.
But we’re in a different era. Everyone in America realizes this is a new era for college athletics. There’s so much change. After an incredible run by Joe Castiglione — championships, titles, nearly three decades of service — we were faced with the difficult task of finding the next great athletic director.
That brings us to today’s guest. Roger, it’s your first full week formally in this position. Welcome to the show.
Roger Denny:
Thank you. Day five. I think I’m supposed to say “long-time listener, first-time caller” at this point.
Joe Harroz:
That’s right. You’ll get a T-shirt and a discount on me.
Roger Denny:
That’s in my contract.
Joe Harroz:
Page seven. One of the few things you really insisted on.
For our listeners, you and I spent a lot of time together over the past several months going through the recruiting process. We brought in Randall Stephenson to lead the search. Replacing someone with Joe Castiglione’s legacy is difficult. And finding the right person for this new era is even harder.
I’d love for you to share your perspective on the search and what attracted you to OU.
Roger Denny:
As a nod to Joe Castiglione’s tenure, the search was maybe the longest I’ve heard of. October 9 was the first conversation. On the day of the press conference, Jake Rosenberg showed me the original text: “Hey, you got time to talk?”
We went deep on this. And there are a million reasons I was attracted to Oklahoma. But what stood out was the rigor of the process — how seriously you all were thinking about where this industry is headed and what you want OU to be.
At the press conference, I used the word commitment. You all demonstrated real commitment to change. That was incredibly attractive to me.
Joe Harroz:
When we started this search, we said publicly we were looking outside the box. Only one category was traditional athletic directors. The others were sports business, media, and CEOs.
When I first saw you in the finalist group — a sitting deputy AD in the Big Ten — I thought, “That’s traditional.” But about six minutes into our three-hour conversation in Dallas, I realized you were anything but traditional.
You bring a unique set of skills for a disrupted moment in college athletics.
Walk us through your background.
Roger Denny:
My background applies because my whole life applies.
I grew up in North Carolina and had some health issues as a kid, which meant I spent a lot of time around the campuses of North Carolina and Duke. It’s impossible not to fall in love with college sports in that environment.
My dad worked in concessions. He was on the road a lot, but when we were together, it was often in a stadium. That environment shaped me.
I knew I wanted to work in sports — specifically college sports. Out of college, I could start a landscaping company or go to law school. My dad pushed law school.
My first summer, I worked for Lee Steinberg. In my final interview, they asked me to name the last five Heisman winners. The guy before me got four. If I got five, I got the job. The one he missed? Jason White.
So there’s an Oklahoma connection.
I went into sports law, then tax law, then got pulled into high-level corporate work. But I kept reaching back to sports.
In 2020, I helped Illinois with a football coach search. That experience made me realize I wanted to be in sports full-time. I joined Illinois in 2021, and it was the most rewarding 4.5 years of my life.
Joe Harroz:
Let’s talk about the skills you bring to this moment.
Roger Denny:
There are skills and attributes.
As a transactional lawyer, you don’t get to undo your work. When you close a deal, it better be right. That mindset applies to athletics.
I also learned the “art of the possible.” There are many ways to solve problems. That perspective is critical in disruption.
In terms of skills: negotiation is important, but preparation for negotiation is more important. Contingency planning. Thinking through every “if-then” before making decisions.
Joe Harroz:
From my perspective, your background in antitrust law, intellectual property, collective bargaining, private capital — those are unprecedented skill sets for an athletic director.
But I had one big question for you during the Zoom interview.
I asked: Do you have a dog in you?
Roger Denny:
I’ve gotten that question before.
My response started with a quote from The Bear: “F.U. — watch this.”
I know how to win.
At Illinois, we hired incredible coaches. Brad Underwood is now the winningest coach in the Big Ten in the 2020s. Three championships in five years.
In football, we set program records — 19 wins in two years, bowl wins over SEC teams, the most successful stretch in program history.
We supported coaches across sports — basketball, football, baseball, golf, track. It wasn’t just hiring. It was building systems that support sustained success.
Joe Harroz:
Now you’re here on day five.
We’re in a fundamentally disrupted moment. You’ve said this may be the greatest opportunity ever to build dynasties.
How do we find opportunity in chaos?
Roger Denny:
Disruption allows asymmetric gains.
Pre-NIL, pre-conference realignment, progress was incremental. Now you can leap.
Illinois took advantage of disruption to jump ahead.
At Oklahoma, we can take that mindset from a position already near the top. If we think differently — not incremental gains, but big jumps — it will be hard to catch us.
And beyond OU, I care deeply about this industry. When we lead from the front, we can help reshape college athletics.
Joe Harroz:
One of my favorite answers you gave during the search was when asked how you’d handle all the change. You said:
Roger Denny:
“It’s the only way I know.”
Joe Harroz:
That mindset shift matters.
Roger, I couldn’t be more confident in what you bring to OU Athletics. Thank you for spending time with us in your first week.
To our listeners — subscribe and stay connected.
Thanks for joining this episode of Conversations with the President. We’ll see you next time.
