After weeks of speculation, DeWayne Peevy has officially been named the new athletics director at DePaul.
One of the top assistants to Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart since 2008, Peevy is the seventh member of the staff to move on to lead a Division I program. He is expected to be formally introduced by DePaul at a press conference Tuesday in Chicago.
“This is a very special day for the Peevy family and I’m happy for DeWayne, Allison, and Kaitlyn and Braden,” Barnhart said in a statement released by UK. “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.”
“I will miss ‘My Old Kentucky Home,’ ” Peevy said. “... 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."
Peevy joins Alabama’s Greg Byrne, Mississippi State’s John Cohen, Minnesota’s Mark Coyle, Oregon’s Rob Mullens, Murray State’s Kevin Saal and Florida’s Scott Stricklin on the Barnhart AD tree.
Since 2013, UK has had its five highest finishes in school history in the NACDA Directors’ Cup, which measures the overall success of an athletics program. The unparalleled string of success was topped by a school-record 10th place national finish in the Directors’ Cup for the 2016-17 school year.
Peevy had a big hand in the administration of the UK men's basketball program, serving as John Calipari's right-hand man. During his time, the Cats led all schools in NCAA Tournament wins (31), Final Fours (4), Elite Eights (7), and Sweet 16s (8) during an 11-year period.
“DeWayne is not only a colleague, he’s 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.
“DePaul will see quickly that DeWayne is a gatherer, a listener, a consensus builder and an idea man who gathers the right people in place to execute. I can’t wait to see what happens for the athletic department at DePaul and for DeWayne personally.”
At DePaul, Peevy will succeed Jean Lenti Ponsetto, who is retiring after a 45-year career at the university, including the last 18 as athletic director.
