Pride of ODU Collective Has Merged with ODU Athletics and Old Dominion Athletic Foundation
The change was made because of a recent court settlement that allows colleges and universities to begin offering student-athletes direct compensation.
NORFOLK, Va. – The Old Dominion Athletic Foundation and ODU Athletics have formally taken control of the Pride of ODU, a private collective formed nearly two years ago to raise money and negotiate Name, Image and Likeness agreements with student-athletes.
With the recent settlement of an NIL lawsuit called the “House Settlement,” universities are now empowered to directly negotiate NIL deals with student-athletes and provide them with direct university compensation. Previously, providing direct revenue to athletes was against NCAA rules.
The vast majority of colleges and universities are making similar transitions.
Fans and donors will benefit from having one centralized organization to handle all athletic donations and some fans could gain potential tax benefits.
While donations to the collective have not been tax deductible, the change means that all future donations will be tax deductible. The donations will also count toward enhanced benefits, such as access to premium seating and parking.
The Pride of ODU formed in November of 2023 when Alex Mitchum, president of C&M Industries in Chesapeake, began contacting other ODU donors and supporters about creating a collective to help support Monarch athletes.
The move was encouraged by ODU officials because an organization was needed to begin providing NIL agreements to student-athletes.
Mitchum has served on the Pride of ODU Board along with Russ Turner, Ed Amorosso, James Somers and Scott Taylor. Jay Haeseker, who served as executive director of The Pride of ODU, will continue to work with ODAF until the transition is complete, said Dr. Wood Selig, ODU's director of athletics.
“We owe the members of the board of directors and everyone else associated with the Pride of ODU more gratitude than we can possibly express,” said Dr. Selig. “They stepped up when we absolutely needed that type of support for our students. The board was business-like and very pragmatic. They were very careful and very safe.”
ODU Head Football Coach Ricky Rahne said “that we owe an extreme thank you to everyone who works for The Pride. They put in an incredible amount of time and effort to help get that thing going. And doing so helped us to retain so many players and to be competitive within the Sun Belt.”
Jena Virga, ODAF’s executive director, said she hopes to increase money available to provide student-athletes with revenue while simultaneously increasing funding for scholarships and capital projects.
“We need our fans to join the Pride of ODU, to join ODAF and support all of our athletic priorities,” she said.
“We owe so much to Jay and Alex and the members of the board who spent the last two years building it, branding it and helping our major programs, football and basketball, enter the world of NIL and recruit some very good players.”
Mike Jones, the ODU’s head men’s basketball coach, said “we wouldn’t have the roster we have without their support. We would not have the bright future we know we’re going to have without their help.
“I know that Jena and ODAF will take us even further.”
The three main services provided by The Pride will be taken over by different parts of ODU athletics.
ODAF, which raises more money than any other Sun Belt school, will, of course, handle all fundraising.
“ODAF excels like few others at our level,” Dr. Selig said. “They will not only make this transition seamless, but they will take it to the next level where we need to be to remain competitive on a national level.”
Dr. Ron Moses, executive senior associate athletic director for internal operations, will negotiate and execute NIL contracts. Moses and Annamarie Ginder, ODU’s associate university counsel, have been negotiating NIL contracts during the transition in recent months.
Dr. Selig said ODU has NIL agreements with more than 100 student-athletes.
“Ron has been an absolute beast,” Dr. Selig said. “We don’t call him a general manager, but he’s serving in that role for all of our sports teams.”
Dr. Moses said that a part of the negotiations includes reminding agents and student-athletes that academics matter at ODU and that athletes are expected to go to class and graduate. ODU’s 423 student-athletes had a composite 3.34 grade-point-average in 2024-25, which is a school record.
“We’re also reminding the kids that they have to pay taxes and we’re encouraging them to make direct (NIL) deals with area businesses,” Dr. Moses said.
Carolyn Crutchfield, executive senior associate athletic director of sports administration & external affairs, and her staff will handle the third tier, which is marketing and memberships.
Fans can continue to purchase Pride of ODU memberships for $12 per month and receive exclusive rights to online content and events. The Monarchists, a fan-run ODU support group, will continue to provide content for members, including stories and podcasts, Crutchfield said.
CLICK HERE to view video from the Monarchists about Pride of ODU transition
“The Monarchists will continue to operate independently, and you’ll still enjoy access to exclusive content, merchandise and events,” she said.
ODU Women’s Basketball Coach DeLisha Milton-Jones said she was thrilled to hear ODAF will now control all fundraising related to Monarch athletics. NIL revenue helped her land what she calls her best recruiting class ever for this season.
“I’ve seen first-hand the dedication and impact of ODAF,” she said. “I have full confidence that under their guidance, we will continue to rise and represent the Monarch spirit with pride and purpose.”
For questions about the transition, please email ODAF directly at odaf@odu.edu