Since being introduced as Radford University’s Director of Athletics in the fall of 2007, Robert Lineburg has served as a steady guide for Highlander athletics, evidenced by Radford’s continual success in athletic competition, academic excellence, departmental growth, and community involvement.
Now in his 14th year as the leader of Radford Athletics, the Radford, Va. native has overseen 23 Big South Regular Season Championships, 20 Big South Tournament Championships, and 21 NCAA Tournament Appearances across Radford's 16 varsity sports.
A staple of Lineburg's success as Director of Athletics has been his ability to hire coaches and administrators who are perfect fits in the New River Valley. He has taken the lead on the hires of 11 current Highlander Head Coaches, including Men's Basketball Head Coach Darris Nichols, Women's Basketball Head Coach Mike McGuire, and Baseball Head Coach Alex Guerra.
Radford’s coaches have earned Big South Coach of the Year honors in their respective sports on 25 different occasions under Lineburg, including a school single-season record five times during the 2014-15 academic year.
Among the administrators added in Lineburg’s tenure are Deputy Athletics Director Cory Durand, Associate Athletics Director for Compliance Malinda Tasler, Associate Athletics Director for Student-Athlete Support Services Allison McCoy, Assistant Athletics Director for Sports Medicine Chad Hyatt and Assistant Athletics Director for Sport Performance Jennifer Norton.
He and his staff were responsible for developing and executing a 10-year strategic plan for the Radford athletics department, as well as creating an athletics facilities master plan.
In 2014, Lineburg and Radford Athletics took a step forward in its strategic plan initiative of enhancing the overall athletic brand through creating one unified identity. That same year, Radford Athletics inked a deal with Nike through BSN Sports to provide all 16 athletic programs with exclusive apparel and equipment.
Ushering in a new era for Radford Athletics in June 2015, Joe Bosack & Co., led a 14-month process that included research and development for creating one unified identity of the Highlander athletic brand. The new Radford Athletics logo was unveiled on October 14, 2016, which included one primary mark, three secondary marks and an exclusive Radford font. In addition to the athletic logos, Radford launched its new online team shop
(RadfordTeamShop.com).
As it pertains to fundraising, the 2017-18 fund drive year saw Radford Athletics achieve record breaking numbers. The Highlander Club, Radford Athletics’ fundraising arm, increased to 948 donors and set a new fundraising record of over $1.2 million.
Implemented in April 2017 as a cornerstone fundraising event to take place each year, the inaugural Highlander Pride Weekend consisted of three parts: the Red & White Gala, the Highlander Open golf tournament and the Highlander Half Marathon/5K race. The first-ever weekend raised $82,000 for the Radford Athletics Student-Athlete Scholarship Fund. Over 600 individuals participated in the event, which consisting of Radford alumni, the New River Valley community, Radford faculty and staff, student-athletes and members of the athletics department.
The fundraising campaign’s most visible influences to date have been on the Dedmon Center and Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium, which were the first capital projects funded entirely through private donations made to Radford Athletics.
Academic success has been a major emphasis for Radford University Athletics as well. To this point in Lineburg’s tenure, Radford has garnered sixteen Big South Scholar Athletes of the Year, nine CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, three Big South Women of the Year, and three Christianberry Award winners. The department's Academic Progress Rates (APR) have consistently been higher than the national average and graduation rates remain near 100% year-in and year-out.
A nod to his prominent position in the collegiate athletics landscape, Lineburg was appointed as a member of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Rules Committee, effective Sept 1, 2018. During his four-year term on the committee, Lineburg has helped shape the game of basketball on the collegiate level alongside several distinguished coaches and administrators such as Rick Barnes (Head Coach, Tennessee), Bob Huggins (Head Coach, West Virginia), Tad Boyle (Head Coach, University of Colorado, Boulder), Richard Johnson (AD, Wofford) and Stu Jackson (Sr. Associate Commissioner, Big East Conference).
Lineburg has delivered on improvements to facilities across the Radford Athletics complex time and time again. Beginning in the spring of 2008, the Dedmon Center underwent transformations to the basketball/volleyball arena, including a new steel-supported roof, a new basketball playing floor, renovated athletics offices, a new-look natatorium, and improved athletic locker room, training, and medical facilities.
Along with the initial upgrades to the Dedmon Center, an improved strength and conditioning room, new ticket office and Learning Enhancement Center (LEC), which houses student-athlete academic support, were completed/added in 2009.
In 2010, facility upgrades included a new high-tech videoboard / sound system to the Dedmon Center, as well as a new playing surface / irrigation system and dugouts to the baseball stadium.
In April of 2011, Radford transformed its baseball program by opening a brand-new stadium and making the first significant adjustment to its home park since opening in 1986. For the first time ever, the Highlanders have the capability to host night games. The stadium features lighting standards that meet the requirements of NCAA Regional Tournament host sites.
Radford baseball debuted its new 35-foot, high-definition LED videoboard in March 2015. The structure was made possible through a private gift from the family of one of the program’s all-time greatest players, Eddie Butler.
In the spring of 2014, Radford softball played its first game in its newly renovated stadium. The softball complex features state-of-the-art dugouts, a press box and chairback stadium seating.
The spring of 2017 saw Radford transform the former aquatic area into one of the largest non-football dedicated sports performance facilities in the country. The facility features state-of-the-art equipment, sound system and four 70-inch televisions.
As a result of the sports performance facility moving, Radford’s most recent athletic facility upgrade has been to the VCOM Center for Sports Medicine as a part of Radford’s new student-athlete experience campaign. The department transformed the former sports performance location into a state-of-the-art 4,300 square foot sports medicine facility. The new facility includes separate areas for treatment, taping, rehabilitation, hydrotherapy and staff offices.
One of Radford’s most notable athletic facilities, the baseball facility received a new identity on April 29, 2017 as a part of the inaugural Highlander Pride Weekend. In addition to Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium; the home dugout and newly built indoor hitting facility also received names.
The Sioros Center opened its doors January 2016, which houses up to six batting cages, as well as equipment and amenities for live pitching, pitching machines, pitchers’ bullpens and defensive drills.
In the summer of 2019, Radford Athletics and the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine entered a partnership to provide Highlander student-athletes a state-of-the-art 4,300 square foot sports medicine facility, the VCOM Sports Medicine Center. The clinic will provide a positive setting for student-athletes as well as an attraction for the recruitment of prospective student-athletes.
The most recent facility upgrade, which took place in December 2019, was the naming of Craig Room, formerly known as the Highlander Room, thanks to generous donations from David and Sandy Craig. Radford University has been a big part of the Craig family as nine immediate family members who have attended Radford University.
Prior to becoming Radford’s third Director of Athletics, Lineburg’s corporate knowledge was gained as a marketing associate with Peloton Real Estate Partners in Dallas, Texas. Along with his business experience, Lineburg spent 15 seasons as a college basketball coach, including time as Southern Methodist’s (Dallas, Texas) interim head coach. Prior to serving as the Mustangs interim head coach, Lineburg spent eight years as an assistant coach at SMU. Following his interim tenure, he served two more seasons as an assistant coach at Southern Methodist.
Lineburg’s coaching resume also includes assistant coaching positions with the men’s basketball programs at James Madison University and Emory & Henry College, as well as with the Dallas Mavericks summer league team. His coaching experience also took him through the Big South, as he spent time on the sideline at UNC Greensboro.
A 1991 graduate of Roanoke College, Lineburg started his collegiate basketball career as a Radford Highlander, where he was a two-year letterman before transferring to nearby Roanoke College to play his final two years.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in history. In 1995, he received a master’s degree in education from Virginia Tech, where he was also a graduate assistant on the men’s basketball staff.
Lineburg is the son of retired Radford High School football coach and athletic director Norman Lineburg and the brother of Dr. Mark Lineburg, the Superintendent of Halifax County Schools, Dr. Paul Lineburg, the Principal at Northside Middle School, and Wayne Lineburg, who is the Special Teams/Tight Ends Coach at Wake Forest University.
