A familiar face to Bloomington-Normal and Illinois State Athletics returned to his alma mater in October of 2023. Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs hired Paul Kabbes as Deputy Director of Athletics for External Operations. In his role, Kabbes will oversee all external facets of ISU Athletics which includes marketing, graphic design, athletics communications, ticket sales, fundraising (Weisbecker Athletic Fund), social media, Redbird Productions, all creative efforts, and serve as a liaison to Redbird Sports Properties (corporate partnerships through Learfield). He will also provide guidance for the NIL efforts within the athletics department through strategic conversations with the ISU Athletics collective Empower the Nest. Kabbes will provide sport supervision for Baseball, Football, Men’s Golf, and Women’s Golf.
During his first year on campus, the need to increase private funds and support from the community have been key factors. 2023-24 saw at least a 10% increase in attendance for all four ticketed sports in CEFCU Arena and Hancock Stadium. On the ticketing side, these same four sports (FB, VB, MBB, and WBB) each saw increases in their season ticket numbers during the 2024-25 renewal season. The WAF team guided successful efforts in the 2024 versions of Birds Give Back (focus on the “Redbird Refresh” project to improve branding within many venues for ISU Athletics) and Support Your Sport. On the NIL side, Empower the Nest has grown over 350% since Kabbes took on oversight of the collective. This growth can be attributed to the approach of taking on the changing landscape for college athletics with a head on approach.
Kabbes, a product of Normal and Bloomington Central Catholic High School, returns to Illinois State after serving as Deputy Athletics Director at Oral Roberts since August 2021.
During his time in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with the Golden Eagles, Kabbes provided oversight for all external units, including development, sponsorships, ticketing, marketing, and athletic communications. He assisted with the initiation of the inaugural University-wide Giving Day April 12, 2023, in collaboration with the Development and Alumni Relations Department. In addition, he was a member of the athletics executive staff of four and assisted the department to an NCAA Tournament appearance for men's basketball in 2023 and the first College World Series appearance since 1978. He and his staff were also instrumental in ORU Basketball being voted the best basketball atmosphere in the state of Oklahoma for 2022 and 2023.
Kabbes arrived at ORU after spending four years at Louisiana Tech. As the Senior Associate Athletic Director for Championship Resources, he led solicitation efforts for major gifts for the athletics department. He played a key role in the fundraising efforts for the new baseball, softball and soccer facilities after a 2019 tornado ripped through Ruston, Louisiana. Kabbes also was the lead fundraiser on the Thomas Assembly Center court renovation which was finalized in July 2021. He served as men's basketball sport supervisor and added football sport supervisor to his list of duties working in conjunction with the director of athletics on football scheduling for the Bulldogs.
In the Associate Athletics Director role at Louisiana Tech, Kabbes was responsible for securing private support for the University's athletic programs with an emphasis on major gifts. Together with his team, LTAC finished two consecutive fiscal years with a record amount in dollars raised, surpassing $1.6 million for the first time ever in 2018.
Kabbes joined Louisiana Tech in March of 2017 after spending three years as the Associate Athletic Director for External Relations at the University of Illinois Springfield. From 2012-14, Kabbes served as the Associate Director of Development at the University of Alabama Birmingham, where his main focus was oversight of annual giving for the Blazer Boosters office that raised $1.4 million during the 2013 calendar year.
Prior to joining the Blazers, Kabbes spent two years at Illinois State as the development graduate assistant where he assisted with the selling of club seats for a newly-renovated Hancock Stadium on ISU's campus. During graduate school, Kabbes became strongly involved with fundraising for the Miracle League of Central Illinois, a non-profit organization that provides children with mental or physical disabilities the chance to play baseball.
Kabbes graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a degree in business management in 2010. He was a four-year student-athlete on the IWU baseball team and pitched for the 2010 Division III National Championship team. He went on to complete his master's degree in sport management from Illinois State in 2012.
He resides in Bloomington with his wife, Emily, along with their son Bennett and daughters Mackenzie and Clara.
