Marketing
Hollis is known as an innovator in marketing college sports with innovative events such as the Basketbowl and the Carrier Classic. In 2002, he was awarded the National Marketer of the Year Award as selected by the National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators (NACMA).
Hollis was the architect behind the Cold War, an outdoor ice hockey match-up between rivals Michigan State University and the University of Michigan played in 2001 that ended in a 3-3 tie. He later engineered Basketbowl, a 2003 match-up between Michigan State University and the University of Kentucky played at Ford Field. In developed the popular event the Carrier Classic. The first game was held on November 11, 2011 aboard the USS Carl Vinson, between Michigan State and North Carolina. President Barack Obama attended this game.
Hollis and the athletic department staff updated much of the design, colors, and look of the athletic department and met much resistance from the students and public when they proposed changing the Michigan State logo.
His latest endeavor is a proposed event to have four simultaneous college basketball games played at the Cowboys Stadium.
Read more about this topic: Mark Hollis (athletic Director)