David (Dave) Braine held the position of an

athletics director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and r ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

from 1988 to 1997 and

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

from 1997 to 2006. Braine significantly improved the athletic programs at both schools and increased the support of student athletes with more focus on academics and life skills.

Early life and education

David Braine is a native of

Grove City, Pennsylvania Grove City is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in southeastern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States, located approximately north of Pittsburgh and south of Erie, Pennsylvania, Erie. At the 2020 United States Ce ...

. He earned a Master's of arts and teaching from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

in 1966. Braine also played football for the Tar Heels during the 1962–1964 seasons as a place kicker and defensive back.

Career

Braine is noted for serving as athletic director for both Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. However, Braine's administrative career also included two years as athletics director at

Marshall University Marshall University is a public research university in Huntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1837 and is named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. The university is currently composed of nine colleges: L ...

and assistant positions at

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. Braine previously spent two years at Georgia Tech as an assistant football coach under

Pepper Rodgers Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers (October 8, 1931 – May 14, 2020) was an American football player and coach. As a college football player, he led the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to an undefeated season in 1952 and later became their head ...

, and he also coached at Virginia,

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

and

Virginia Military Institute la, Consilio et Animis (on seal) , mottoeng = "In peace a glorious asset, In war a tower of strength""By courage and wisdom" (on seal) , established = , type = Public senior military college , accreditation = SACS , endowment = $696.8 mill ...

Virginia Tech

When Braine became athletic director of Virginia Tech in 1988, he inherited a program that was plagued with financial, academic, and

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

compliance problems. However, Virginia Tech made progress both on and off the playing field during this time frame. Braine emphasized improving the quality of student life through increased academic advisement and by implementing a code of conduct for student-athletes. Virginia Tech's graduation rate for student-athletes increased to 70 percent, which was 12 percent above the national average for Division I schools. Braine also directed an expansion of women's athletics that made Virginia Tech compliant with federal gender-equity rules by implementing new women's sports programs, such as

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

, and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

. During Braine's tenure, Virginia Tech won an NIT Championship in basketball and nine

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division I. The A-10's member schools are located in states mostly on the United States Eastern ...

titles in other sports. Braine also oversaw significant improvement in Virginia Tech's athletics facilities. Braine helped rebuild

Virginia Tech football The Virginia Tech Hokies football team represents Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the sport of American football. The Hokies compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

program by securing ties with the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...

and by supporting Virginia Tech's football coach

Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane ...

following a 2-8-1 football season in 1992. Braine lead the Hokies to back-to-back berths in the

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

and

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...

. During the past two decades, Virginia Tech football program has been successful with Beamer as head football coach as measured by the number of winning seasons and bowl appearances. For his contributions in Blacksburg, he was enshrined in the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.

Georgia Tech

Braine became athletic director at Georgia Tech on June 3, 1997. Athletic highlights during Braine's tenure at Georgia Tech include the men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team's 2004 NCAA runner-up finish and a school-record streak of nine straight bowl games for the football program. Other athletics highlights during Braine's tenure at Georgia Tech include No. 1 national rankings in baseball and golf, and 12 ACC team titles in seven different sports. Facility upgrades completed during Braine's tenure at Georgia Tech include the $75 million renovation and expansion of

Bobby Dodd Stadium Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. It has been home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets foo ...

at Historic

Grant Field Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field is the football stadium located at the corner of North Avenue at Techwood Drive on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta. It has been home to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets foo ...

, the reconstruction of Russ Chandler Baseball Stadium and the new

Georgia Tech Aquatic Center The Georgia Tech Campus Recreation Center (abbreviated CRC, formerly known as the Georgia Tech Aquatic Center and the Georgia Tech Student Athletic Center) is part of the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech campus. History Georgia Tec ...

, which hosted the 2006 NCAA Swimming Championships. As Athletic Director, Braine emphasized the Total Person Concept, a comprehensive support program that stresses academics and life skills. Through the Total Person Program, Georgia Tech student-athletes benefit from a number of enrichment programs ranging from life skills and career planning to wellness and community outreach. During Braine's tenure, the Homer Rice Center for Sports Performance was created. The Center's efforts concentrate on performance enhancement for student-athletes participating in the sports programs of the Georgia Tech Athletic Association with services also available for Tech students, faculty and staff. The center offers a motion analysis lab, a medical clinic and psychology lab, a nutrition center and a sports vision center. Also during Braine's tenure, Georgia Tech was named the recipient of the first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Sportsmanship School of the Year Award in 2004. Braine retired in 2006 due to health concerns after he was diagnosed with

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braine, David Living people 1943 births Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets athletic directors Marshall Thundering Herd athletic directors North Carolina Tar Heels football players Virginia Tech Hokies athletic directors People from Grove City, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Pennsylvania