Hillsdale Director of Athletics Don Brubacher will retire June 30, 2023 after 15 years in the role.

“He has made great hires in the different sports, shown in the success many of our sports have had in recent years,” Chris Gravel, volleyball head coach,  said. “He has also been a great advocate for the advancement of our facilities, hence the many projects that are currently underway in the athletic department.”

Brubacher said he is retiring because it is time to do something different.

“It remains to be seen what I will do next,” Brubacher said. “I would be interested in some other kind of work, probably not in this particular field. I’ve done this for a long time.”

Brubacher said he will likely move to Kansas to be closer to his three sons and seven grandchildren.

Before coming to Hillsdale, Brubacher worked at Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas, for 31 years, including eight as its athletic director.

“Men’s basketball was one of my primary responsibilities at Tabor,” Brubacher said. “I also coached men’s and women’s soccer and taught a lot in the classroom as an associate professor.”

Brubacher said he is particularly proud of three accomplishments at Hillsdale: restructuring the physical education academic program, the growth in recreational sports, and the growth in varsity sports.

“It was obvious when I arrived here that the physical education program was seriously outdated,” Brubacher said. “With the help of many people around campus, we rebuilt the program. The sports studies department, the exercise science major, the sports management major, and the sports psychology major came out of the restructuring of the physical education department.”

Brubacher said there were no club sport programs when he arrived at Hillsdale.

“That was added in my first year. We created an opportunity for students to register club sports, which are then supported by the college,” Brubacher said. “Now we have over 20 registered club sports.”

Additionally, Brubacher said the varsity sports program did not fully align with the college’s mission when he arrived.

“The varsity sports program now consistently accepts the challenge of contributing as much as possible to the mission of the college,” Brubacher said. “Sports should be very much an integral part of the college itself, not its own thing that’s done on the side.”

According to Brubacher, no other NCAA Division II school has Hillsdale’s academic standards or rigor.

“Our student athletes are succeeding at a very high level academically,” Brubacher said.

Gravel said Brubacher always takes the time to watch some of each team’s practices.

“The teams will all miss having a great supporter like him,” Gravel said.

Women’s basketball head coach Charlie Averkamp said Brubacher genuinely cares about others.

“He’s someone who really cares about the wellbeing of the student athletes and also the coaches in the program,” Averkamp said. “He wants everyone to be successful.”

Head coach of men’s and women’s track and cross country Richard White said the best word to describe Brubacher is “kind.”

“He’ll always pop into my office and check on how things are going, asking how he can be of service,” White said.

Brubacher’s parting message to Hillsdale athletes is to take advantage of the opportunity to learn, grow, and prepare for the world’s challenges.

“When we look at the world around us, the challenges are just beginning,” Brubacher said. “Hillsdale students have the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills that allow them to lead in all the right ways. I encourage the student athletes to take advantage of this opportunity.”