DeeDee Brown-Campbell

As a part of its series in celebration of Black History Month, the Razorback Athletic Department is saluting Trailblazers from the African-American community who have attended the University of Arkansas. Several of the honorees in our series were also selected as Silas Hunt Legacy Award recipients recently.

DeeDee Brown-Campbell is a leader who wears many hats at the University of Arkansas.

A former track and field standout, Brown-Campbell continues to lead through her various roles in the Razorback Athletics Department.

Brown-Campbell was the first female African-American to be promoted to Associate Athletic Director in the former Women’s Athletics Department. When the athletic departments combined, Brown-Campbell continued to serve as an Associate Director of Academic Support and became the first Coordinator of Athletic Diversity Initiatives for the Razorbacks.

Brown-Campbell has been with the Razorbacks since her days as a student-athlete on the track and field team serving most recently in the student-athlete academic support department. Brown-Campbell works directly with the athletic director coordinating ongoing diversity initiatives while also developing new diversity programs for Razorback Athletics.

While Brown-Campbell’s position continues to evolve, some of her primary duties include creating and implementing programs and activities to educate and promote different forms of diversity within the athletic department and student-athlete population. The associate director of academic support will also maintain her role working as an academic coordinator with the men’s basketball team.

Upon completing her athletic eligibility and graduating with a degree in kinesiology, Brown decided to stay with the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant, working in athletic administration and as an academic counselor for a little over a year. She was hired full time in January 2004 as the assistant director of academic support, and promoted to director in the summer of 2004.

A two-time All-American in the heptathlon as a member of Arkansas’ perennial championship track & field team, Brown has made an impact since the day she set foot on campus in the fall of 1998. During her competition days, Brown was one of just a select few to ever earn more than 5,700 points in the heptathlon. She won two Southeastern Conference Championships and still holds five school records in the pentathlon and heptathlon competitions.

Brown earned her undergraduate degree in kinesiology, she completed her master’s degree in sport management in December of 2004.

She is the daughter of Darrell and Angela Brown. Her father Darrell was one of the first African-American football players in University of Arkansas history. Brown-Campbell is married to former Razorback football player Marcus Campbell. The couple have a son, Chase.

The University of Arkansas’ Office of University Relations provided the content of today’s salute. For more information on the Silas Hunt Legacy Award Event, please jump here.