“I think the truth is that Baylor has proven time and time again that it’s up for a challenge.”

We did not want to leave Waco when I left Magnolia. That kind of narrowed the opportunities because working for a media company, there’s not many that you can do remotely. Our love for this community is strong to a point where that was going to be a non-negotiable for us. I have so much pride for what this city is continuing to grow and become.

I’m fortunate to have a really close relationship with Dillon Meek, the former mayor. He’s a dear friend. I’m fortunate to call (Waco Mayor) Jim Holmes a friend, (Waco City Manager) Brad Ford as a friend, and Amine Qourzal, Woodway’s mayor, and County Judge Scott Felton, a great man. Just a lot of really good people that serve our communities. Baylor and Waco, that relationship is so critical for us, and Waco has been so kind and generous to us as a community partner. I’m excited to further lean into that and see how we can support Waco.

In some ways I think we have some advantages to navigate [revenue sharing]. The current reality is that you have the rev share aspect, which is $20 million and some change, which is a significant amount of money. And funding that is a challenge for every institution. You didn’t have $20 million-plus on your books as an expense and all of a sudden it pops up. That’s significant. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done to address that for every institution. And it’s not just that. Now you’ve got to be really intentional in helping other revenue streams as it relates to NIL. That’s something that is significant in the equation.

I’d say as far as Baylor is concerned, being a private institution, I don’t see it as a further disadvantage. A lot of it just comes down to the alumni base size and the motivation and the wherewithal to be committed to be competitive. And I think the truth is that Baylor has proven time and time again that it’s up for a challenge. If we had to do it all over again, we might have approached the early years of this kind of new era of college athletics in a different way that has probably put us a little bit behind. But as far as what I think our outlook is and the opportunity, I’m incredibly bullish on where we’re heading. The university’s already made a commitment that we have already fully funded that, and my job is to continue to drive revenues to ensure that we in athletics cover as much as we possibly can of that, if not all of it.

Doug McNamee began his new role as vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics at Baylor University on Dec. 19. It was a homecoming of sorts, as McNamee has two degrees — a bachelor’s in speech communication and master’s in sport management — from Baylor, and previously worked for the university’s athletic department for several years. He was senior associate athletic director for external affairs in 2018 when he left to become president of Magnolia, where he worked for four years. (The McNamees and their house in Castle Heights were featured in the first episode of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” which first aired on May 23, 2013.)

Most recently, he was president of Field & Stream for more than three years before rejoining Baylor. McNamee is married to Lacy McNamee, Ph.D., who is director of advancement and instructor of speech and mock trial at Live Oak Classical School, which is where their daughters — Josie, 10; and Maggie, 8 — are enrolled. / Photos provided by Baylor Athletics