Robert Lineburg Announces Retirement as Director of Athletics at Radford University
7/30/2026 5:00:00 PM | Baseball, Men's Basketball, Men's Golf, Men's Soccer, Men's Track and Field, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Women's Track and Field, Volleyball, Cross Country, Women's Lacrosse
RADFORD, Va. – After 19 years of leadership that helped guide Radford Athletics into a new era, Robert Lineburg announced today that he will retire from his role as the director of athletics, effective December 31, 2026. During his tenure, he oversaw the enhancement of the student-athlete experience at Radford while promoting competitive excellence both on and off the playing field.
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"Serving as the Director of Athletics at Radford University for nearly 19 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime," said Lineburg. "I will always cherish the relationships built with our scholar-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty, donors, fans and colleagues across college athletics. I am deeply grateful to former President Penelope Kyle for granting me this opportunity in 2007. My sincere thanks also go to President Bret Danilowicz for his vision, leadership and steadfast support of Highlander Athletics. I take immense pride in what we have accomplished together and in having served a university I truly love. I look forward to watching the Highlanders continue to excel in the classroom, on the court and on the field."
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"Since 2007, Robert has been the heart and soul of Radford University Athletics," said President Bret Danilowicz. "During that time, he has helped the university navigate the many changes in college athletics, unwavering in his devotion to helping our Highlanders succeed and serving fans in our surrounding communities. Perhaps most importantly, he has built an environment where our scholar-athletes can and do excel in sports and in academics."
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Just the third athletics director for the Highlanders, Lineburg is the second-longest tenured athletics director in the Big South Conference presiding over Radford Athletics since November 2007. During his 19-year tenure, Lineburg has guided the Highlanders to 27 Big South regular season championships, 24 Big South tournament championships and 33 NCAA Tournament appearances. Radford head coaches have also garnered 36 Big South Coach of the Year nods with 35 student-athletes earning All-American and academic All-American nods.
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Lineburg paved the way for multiple projects across the athletics footprint that improved the Radford scholar-athlete experience to one of the best at the mid-major level. Improvements included multiple Dedmon Center renovations, the renovation of the Learning Enhancement Center, a brand new turf field and scoreboard at Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium, construction of the Sioros Center, renovations to the baseball, men's basketball and women's basketball locker rooms, the VCOM Center for Sports Medicine, the transformation of the previous aquatic center into one of the largest strength and conditioning centers on the east coast, and most recently a state-of-the-art softball facility with a brand new turf field, wall padding, scoreboard and videoboard.
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Lineburg wasted no time building up a record number of Big South Championships as the Highlanders earned a pair of championships in his first two years, including the program's second-ever men's basketball tournament championship and NCAA appearance in 2009. From there, he oversaw the hiring of six different coaches that would go on to take the Highlanders to conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. During his tenure, Radford teams captured more conference championships than at any other time in school history.
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A native of Radford, Va., Lineburg's start in sports came at a young age as the son of the late legendary high school football and track and field coach Norman Lineburg, whose influence inspired Lineburg to pursue a lifelong career in collegiate athletics. Prior to becoming Radford's athletic director, he served as a college basketball coach for more than 15 years with stops at Emory & Henry College, Virginia Tech, UNC Greensboro and SMU. He graduated from Roanoke College and later earned his master's degree from Virginia Tech.
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Lineburg will continue to serve as Athletics Director through 2026. Effective January 1, 2027, Deputy Athletics Director Cory Durand will serve as Interim Director of Athletics and will oversee the leadership and operations of the department.
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"Serving as the Director of Athletics at Radford University for nearly 19 years has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime," said Lineburg. "I will always cherish the relationships built with our scholar-athletes, coaches, administrators, faculty, donors, fans and colleagues across college athletics. I am deeply grateful to former President Penelope Kyle for granting me this opportunity in 2007. My sincere thanks also go to President Bret Danilowicz for his vision, leadership and steadfast support of Highlander Athletics. I take immense pride in what we have accomplished together and in having served a university I truly love. I look forward to watching the Highlanders continue to excel in the classroom, on the court and on the field."
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"Since 2007, Robert has been the heart and soul of Radford University Athletics," said President Bret Danilowicz. "During that time, he has helped the university navigate the many changes in college athletics, unwavering in his devotion to helping our Highlanders succeed and serving fans in our surrounding communities. Perhaps most importantly, he has built an environment where our scholar-athletes can and do excel in sports and in academics."
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Just the third athletics director for the Highlanders, Lineburg is the second-longest tenured athletics director in the Big South Conference presiding over Radford Athletics since November 2007. During his 19-year tenure, Lineburg has guided the Highlanders to 27 Big South regular season championships, 24 Big South tournament championships and 33 NCAA Tournament appearances. Radford head coaches have also garnered 36 Big South Coach of the Year nods with 35 student-athletes earning All-American and academic All-American nods.
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Lineburg paved the way for multiple projects across the athletics footprint that improved the Radford scholar-athlete experience to one of the best at the mid-major level. Improvements included multiple Dedmon Center renovations, the renovation of the Learning Enhancement Center, a brand new turf field and scoreboard at Williams Field at Carter Memorial Stadium, construction of the Sioros Center, renovations to the baseball, men's basketball and women's basketball locker rooms, the VCOM Center for Sports Medicine, the transformation of the previous aquatic center into one of the largest strength and conditioning centers on the east coast, and most recently a state-of-the-art softball facility with a brand new turf field, wall padding, scoreboard and videoboard.
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Lineburg wasted no time building up a record number of Big South Championships as the Highlanders earned a pair of championships in his first two years, including the program's second-ever men's basketball tournament championship and NCAA appearance in 2009. From there, he oversaw the hiring of six different coaches that would go on to take the Highlanders to conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. During his tenure, Radford teams captured more conference championships than at any other time in school history.
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A native of Radford, Va., Lineburg's start in sports came at a young age as the son of the late legendary high school football and track and field coach Norman Lineburg, whose influence inspired Lineburg to pursue a lifelong career in collegiate athletics. Prior to becoming Radford's athletic director, he served as a college basketball coach for more than 15 years with stops at Emory & Henry College, Virginia Tech, UNC Greensboro and SMU. He graduated from Roanoke College and later earned his master's degree from Virginia Tech.
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Lineburg will continue to serve as Athletics Director through 2026. Effective January 1, 2027, Deputy Athletics Director Cory Durand will serve as Interim Director of Athletics and will oversee the leadership and operations of the department.
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