Disney VP Chris Cilluffo is interested in being Auburn's next Athletic Director

Some current Athletic department staffers, a conference executive...and a TV guy?

All we currently know for sure about Auburn's Athletic Director search is that university officials plan to take their time and want someone with a connection to the university. There's nothing in there, to our knowledge, about working in sports.

Christopher Cilluffo, a 1995 grad and president of the Los Angeles Auburn Alumni Club, wants to throw his hat in the ring - he spoke to Josh Moon of the Alabama Political Reporter about it on Thursday. He's currently a Vice President for Disney Television Studios, serving as Head of Finance for the television division. Does managing a $6 billion budget and producing television shows (he counts "This Is Us", "Parenthood", and "911" among his success stories) translate to running an SEC athletic department?

“That’s very similar to an athletic department at a major university, I’d say,” Cilluffo told APR. “Of course there are some key differences, but the ideas are basically the same – put together a team of qualified people to get the tasks done. I feel like that’s one of the things that has made me successful. I’m not concerned with someone I hire outshining me and passing me on a career path. I want the best people for the job, and then I let them do the job.”

Far from a typical candidate, he's the first to acknowledge that he might not get a second look. As a Math major and a television producer, he has no playing or working history in athletics, no coaching experience, and minimal fundraising background.

He does feel, however, that his finance history, budgetary experience, and industry connections with Hollywood could be useful. “I would just like to sit down at the table and discuss what I could bring to Auburn to help the university,” Cilluffo said. “That might not translate into this job, and that’s fine. [...] But even if I don’t get the job, I feel like I can share ideas that will help.”

It all comes back to his love for Auburn. Originally from Boston, he fell in love with Auburn the same way many of us did - a campus visit. "I came from Boston to Auburn because I just liked the way the campus felt to me when I visited. That first year, when everyone was going home for Thanksgiving and I wasn’t, I bet I had 50 invitations from kids I barely knew to come home with them. That sort of thing – it sticks with you. The professors I had there, the encouragement they gave me to follow my dreams – it’s what led me to the career I have."

Ultimately, Cilluffo's not interested in working in the industry of collegiate athletics, but Auburn is the exception. “The idea that I could give something back to Auburn, that would be important to me. I would only be interested in this job at Auburn, and it’s really just about my love for Auburn."

With the way that NIL has taken over college athletics, having someone with working connections to the highest levels of television and marketing (as well as the sports entertainment industry's biggest player in ESPN parent Disney) could be a useful asset to have. Even if he's not the right fit for the job, an interview and intentional expansion of that relationship could be a strategic advantage for Auburn as their increase their NIL efforts into branded player merchandise and their own branded exchange to facilitate NIL deals.

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