The Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, like the several vice presidents, reports directly to the Office of the President. The duties of the Director include budget preparation and financial and property management relating to the University's programs in intercollegiate athletics as well as the supervision of coaching, training and athletic management; student-athlete recruitment; eligibility; housing and medical care; alumni; and public relations relating to the university's athletic program; and both scheduling and game organization within the athletic program.

Since Richard Giannini was named Director of Athletics in 1999, his vision, leadership and unwavering work ethic has transformed the face and landscape of Southern Miss athletics that will have lasting effects for years to come.

In fact, to see the impact he has made on Golden Eagle Athletics, one need only to look at all the improvements that have been made during his tenure, especially in the areas of academics, facilities, athletic achievement and increased revenue.

A tireless and innovative administrator, Giannini brought outstanding intercollegiate athletic experience to Hattiesburg, including five years as director of athletics at one of Southern Miss’ longtime interstate rivals, Louisiana-Monroe. While working for the NCAA in the mid-1970s, Giannini’s responsibilities included serving as executive producer of the ABC Football Highlight Shows, as well as NCAA Tournament basketball games not aired by NBC. He also arranged and produced the first national telecast of the College Baseball World Series for HBO, and produced numerous conference football highlight films. He was also director of licensing for the NCAA.

He served as assistant sports information director at Florida (his alma mater) from 1966 to 1970, was sports information director at Duke from 1970 to 1973, became assistant athletics director at Duke in 1974, and, after working for the NCAA in 1976 and 1977 and returned to Florida as senior associate athletics director to oversee external affairs. He left Florida in 1986 to enter the private sector, taking over as CEO and co-owner of Raycom Management Group in Charlotte, N.C., a subsidiary of Raycom Sports, where he developed numerous sporting events, including the Blockbuster Bowl, the most successful first-year bowl in NCAA history.

Giannini’s successes have not gone unnoticed. He recently was inducted into the University of Florida’s College of Health and Human Performance Hall of Fame in March of 2004 and the Saint Leo University Athletics Hall of Fame in February of 2005. The Golden Eagle athletics director was born Nov.12, 1942; is a 1961 graduate of Winter Park, Fla., High School; was a track athlete, competing in the weight events, at Furman; and graduated from the University of Florida in 1966.

He has continued to work at both the conference and national levels. He serves on several Conference USA committees, was chairman of the C-USA football athletic director’s committee in 2001-02 and currently serves as the chairman of the Football and Bowl Committee.

Giannini recently completed a term on the NCAA Football Issues Committee and is in the second year of a four-year term as a member of the NCAA Championships Cabinet. He also is a member of the NCAA postseason football committee, which governs the bowl games and represents C-USA Athletics Directors at BCS meetings.

Giannini and his wife, Gayle, are parents of four daughters–Ansley Stone, Brittney Borbash, Carlyn Linker, and DeLancey, and grandparents of Tori, Parker, Sara, Kelsey, Ryleigh, and Kyle.