Dallas D. Branch, Jr.

Dallas Branch received the College of Physical Activity and Sport Sciences Distinguished Service Award in 2020 in recognition of his contributions to sport management education and the sport marketing profession.

Branch served as an associate professor in CPASS for 29 years, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in sport marketing, sport management, sport promotion, and sponsorship. For 15 years, he taught an innovative ESPN Sports Poll graduate class, the first of its kind in the nation. He also coordinated the sport management program for 12 years and directed graduate student internship placements in the Master of Science program, helping the program achieve a national ranking of third and an international ranking of 11th by Eduniversal.

In 1992, Branch co-founded Sport Marketing Quarterly, the first academic and professional sport marketing journal in the world. He served as editor until 1996 and later received a “Top 20 in 20” Award for one of the journal’s best articles in its first two decades. In 2002, he was a founding member and board member of the Sport Marketing Association, an international organization of sport marketing scholars and industry professionals. He was also a four-time Teacher of the Year in CPASS.

Branch’s career included extensive publications and presentations at national and international levels. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the Sport Marketing Association in 2009 and the Academic Achievement in Sport and Entertainment Award from the Sport Entertainment and Venue Management Association in 2017.

Before his academic career, Branch was a basketball and baseball player at the University of North Carolina. He worked as a high-volume marketing executive with Xerox Corporation and later as vice president of marketing for the Indianapolis Checkers of the International Hockey League, bringing industry experience that enriched his teaching and scholarship.

Branch retired as an associate professor emeritus in 2016.