University of Minnesota Athletics
Staff Directory
- Title:
- Deputy Athletics Director / Leadership & Administration
- Email:
- Phone:
- 612-624-5834
Peyton N. Owens III was named Deputy Athletics Director for the Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota in May of 2025. Owens holds over 20 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics with significant focus on student-athlete development, transformational leadership, sport administration, and strategic partnerships.
In his role, Owens is responsible for Leadership and Administration advocating for the development of the total person, through implementing cross-functional engagement with the Athletics Department, Greater Academy, Big Ten Conference, and the NCAA. He is a member of the Executive Leadership Team, and has direct oversight of Student-Athlete Development, Leadership and Inclusive Excellence, Relationship Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention, and serves as the departmental lead for Housing. In addition to these responsibilities, Owens is the primary sport administrator and champion for Rowing, Softball, and Baseball.
Owens presently serves on an array of campus committees focused on evaluating and improving education, internal functions and processes. These include the Stop Campus Hazing Committee, Operational Clery Committee, Diversity Community of Practice, and liaison with the Sexual Misconduct Prevention Program. In addition to his intercollegiate athletics and greater academy responsibilities, Owens’ leadership and partnership extends to the Big Ten Conference and the NCAA. This includes serving as a member of the Big Ten Inclusive Excellence Committee, NCAA Regional Postgraduate Scholarship Committee, and the NCAA Committee on Access, Opportunity, and Impact.
During his career, Owens has served as a P & A Senator, and committee member for All Honors, Academic Registrars Compliance, Eligibility Summit, Alcohol Policy on Abuse Prevention, Big Ten Career Development, and Big Ten Equality Coalition. He presently serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Minnesota Alumni Association as the Ex-Officio Athletic Director Designee, and as an advisory board member for Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Counsel of Excellence (D.I.E.C.E.). Previous board membership includes Empower Leadership Academy and Athletes Committed to Educating Students (A.C.E.S)
In '00 Owens graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in Kinesiology and in '03 he received a Master of Science degree in Sports Management and Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to the University of Minnesota, Owens worked at Virginia Commonwealth University as the Director of Life Skills from ’03 – ’05.
He is a graduate of the NCAA Ethnic Minority Males and Females Leadership Institute ('08), as well as a graduate of the University of Minnesota's President's Emerging Leaders Program ('09).
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Owens currently resides in the Twin Cities with his wife, Alicia, and their two daughters.
