CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Director of Athletics Graham Neff announced that Kosha Irby (ko-SHAY ER-bee) has been named Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/ Chief Marketing Officer. Irby brings over two decades of experience to Clemson, including his most recent three-year stint as Chief Marketing Officer of Professional Bull Riders (PBR). Beginning Feb. 6, 2023, Irby will oversee all external units for the department, which presently manages all public-interfacing areas of the Clemson Athletics brand.

“Clemson is getting one of the industry’s thought leaders in bringing Kosha Irby and his family into our department,” said Neff. “We constantly talk about the need to be disruptive and innovative, while keeping our fan and student experience top-of-mind. Kosha’s track record of creating unforgettable experiences will resonate with all areas of our department as we aspire to continue to drive value for our student-athletes, fans, IPTAY donors and community. Clemson’s brand is thought of as one of the premier in college sports, and Kosha will help take us to the next level.”

Irby brings a wealth of experience on the external side, prior to his most recent role at PBR, with stops at WWE as a Regional Director of Live Events, The Alliance of American Football as President of the Memphis Express, Georgia State, University of South Florida and Saint Louis.

“Clemson has a reputation around the sports industry for being on the front end of innovation,” said Irby. “I am thankful to Graham, Kevin White, and the entire administration for this opportunity to help Clemson grow. I am big on finding white space, and doing things differently, and I’m thrilled to find ways to do that with one of the biggest brands in college sports.”

Irby has been a panelist at several conferences and speaking engagements, including the Sports Business Journal Media Innovators Summit, The INTIX summit, and the Event & Arena Marketing Conference, among others. He’s a frequent guest on podcasts and other web series and considered a thought-leader in marketing. His influence on the live entertainment industry and have been recognized with his recent induction into the Event & Arena Marketing Conference Hall of Fame.

At Clemson, Irby will oversee and work closely with communications, creative solutions, fan experience, game operations, ticketing, broadcast production, revenue generation, licensing, analytics and sports partnerships teams to create and manage all areas of the external units. He will also work with partners throughout campus to continue the growth of Clemson Athletic Properties (CAPCO), the in-house multimedia rights holder. Each of these departments works closely with the teams and student-athletes. He’ll also influence NIL structure and programming.

Irby earned both an undergraduate degree and an MBA from the University of Memphis, where he played football for the Tigers. Irby and his wife, Jamina, have a daughter, Lexi.

–Release and photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications

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