Olive-Harvey has seen unprecedented growth and success under Athletic Director Rob Fletcher. In his seventh year at the helm, he has elevated the Panthers' program to a consistent championship contender in NJCAA Region 4. Once foreign to the college, championships in sports such as women's volleyball and basketball have become a regular occurrence. Men's basketball and baseball have also seen a growth trend and are on the verge of similar success.
The veteran AD and inaugural CCC Chancellor's Cup winner recently had an opportunity to reflect on the journey he has has had in leading Olive-Harvey athletics.
Ray Crawford: When you first arrived at Olive-Harvey seven years ago, what was your vision for the athletics program, and how has that vision evolved over time?
Rob Fletcher: When I first arrived at Olive-Harvey College seven years ago, I evaluated the athletics program and saw that, out of our four sports programs — Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, Men’s Basketball, and Baseball — only Men’s Basketball had a winning record, while Baseball had strong retention. The other programs needed improvement both competitively and in retaining student-athletes.
My initial vision was to make every program respectable in terms of wins and losses while also improving retention across the department. Over time, that vision evolved into building a complete athletic culture centered on championships, academic success, student-athlete development, and creating opportunities for our athletes to continue their education and athletic careers beyond Olive-Harvey.
RC: Looking back, what were the biggest challenges you faced early on, and how did you work to overcome them?
RF: Looking back, one of the biggest challenges early on at Olive-Harvey College was finding coaches who would fully buy into building a winning culture both on the court/field and in the classroom. We wanted coaches who understood that developing student-athletes meant emphasizing the “student” first. That approach started with recruiting athletes who valued academics, accountability, and team culture just as much as athletic success.
Another major challenge was attracting top-level talent while also building trust across the college. I had to show faculty, staff, and administrators that our athletic department was going to hold student-athletes accountable academically and personally. Over time, by improving retention, academic performance, and competitiveness across our programs, we were able to build credibility and create a culture that the entire college could support and take pride in.
RC: In what ways has the program improved most under your leadership—whether in wins, participation, academics, or overall student-athlete experience?
RF: Under my leadership at Olive-Harvey College, our athletic program has improved in all of those areas — wins, participation, academics, and the overall student-athlete experience.
Competitively, every sport has increased its win totals, with Women’s Volleyball, Women’s Basketball, and Baseball making especially significant strides. In terms of participation, our department has grown from approximately 60 student-athletes when I first arrived to nearly 110 student-athletes today. Academically, we have done a strong job maintaining student-athlete eligibility while also increasing the number of athletes earning academic honors.
We have also worked hard to improve the overall student-athlete experience by creating more activities, team-building opportunities, and group outings that help strengthen relationships, build culture, and create a family atmosphere within our programs.
RC: What accomplishments or milestones are you most proud of during your tenure?
RF: There have been many accomplishments during my tenure at Olive-Harvey College that I am proud of, but what stands out most is the overall growth and success of all of our programs both athletically and academically.
Over the past three years, we have averaged 39% of our student-athletes earning a 3.0 GPA or higher annually, which reflects our commitment to academics and the “student-first” approach.
Our Volleyball program under Head Coach Coach Jenkins made tremendous strides, going from winning just 3 matches in 2023 to winning 17 matches in 2024 while capturing the first City Colleges of Chicago Championship in school history. Since then, the program has won three straight CCC Championships and back-to-back NJCAA Region 4 Championships. Coach Jenkins also earned back-to-back NJCAA Region 4 Coach of the Year honors, while sophomore Ameria Leonard earned NJCAA Region Player of the Year honors and was named an All-American nominee.
Our Women’s Basketball program under Head Coach Jeff Dillard Jr. improved from 9 wins during the 2023-24 season to an incredible 33-2 record in 2024-25, earning a berth to the NJCAA National Tournament. Nakia Bardney earned NJCAA All-American honors, and Coach Jeff Dillard Jr. was named NJCAA Region 4 Coach of the Year.
Men’s Basketball under first-year Head Coach Jason Straight also had an outstanding turnaround. After inheriting a team that won just 7 games the previous season, the Panthers posted a 25-7 record in his first season while producing NJCAA Division I All-American Honorable Mention freshman Terrence Shannon, whose brother is Terrence Shannon Jr. of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Our Baseball program led by Head Coach Jameel Rush won 28 games in 2024 and followed that with a 24-23 record this season while advancing to the NJCAA Region 4 Championship game for the first time in school history. The program also produced its first-ever NJCAA Region 4 Player of the Year in sophomore Caleb Rhodes.
Honestly, I could not have imagined this level of success across all of our programs. A tremendous amount of credit goes to our part-time coaches and staff, who consistently go above and beyond for our student-athletes and programs every single day.
RC: How do you measure success for Olive-Harvey athletics beyond just wins and losses?
RF: At Olive-Harvey College, success goes far beyond wins and losses. I’m old school, and I’ve been fortunate to be part of winning programs my entire life as a player and coach— from Jackie Robinson West Little League to the Simeon Career Academy baseball program to the Grambling State University baseball program and the Chicago White Sox Ace Program. Being part of those successful environments instilled in me the importance of winning with class, competing the right way, and representing your school and community with pride and respect.
That is what we strive to exemplify every day within our athletic department. We want our student-athletes to compete hard, be disciplined, respect the game, and carry themselves the right way on and off the court and field.
One of the greatest compliments I’ve received is hearing fellow athletic directors and leaders throughout NJCAA Region 4 talk about the tremendous improvement Olive-Harvey College athletics has made during my tenure. That recognition from peers who have seen the growth of our programs firsthand means just as much to me as championships and victories.
RC: What has been the key to building a competitive and cohesive athletics community across multiple sports?
RF: The key to building a competitive and cohesive athletics community at Olive-Harvey College has been to have strong institutional support and people throughout the college who believed in the vision of what our athletic department could become.
First, our President, Dr. Kimberly Hollingsworth, who is a former college athlete and whose son played Division I baseball, understood what was needed in terms of resources to help make our programs successful. Vice President of Finance Richard Slater also played a major role by helping secure the funding necessary to elevate our programs. That support allowed us to provide our student-athletes with proper gear, equipment, and pregame meals so we could better compete with top NJCAA Region 4 programs such as South Suburban College and Triton College.
My direct report, Dean Michelle Adams, also recognized the vision and understood that these goals could not be accomplished without additional support. We helped restructure the Assistant Athletic Director position to include retention and compliance responsibilities, which became a critical piece in building stability within our department. Hiring Robert Blissitt into that role proved to be a major addition, as he was an integral part of helping us build the success and culture of the Olive-Harvey athletic program. He has since moved on to become the Director of Athletics at Daley College.
In addition, District Athletic Director Cyril Nichols helped increase the District athletic tuition allotment from half of the NJCAA maximum to the full allotment of tuition waivers across all sports. That was extremely important because it helped close the gap between our programs and other NJCAA Division I programs in Region 4 that we compete against on a regular basis.
Overall, the biggest key has been building a culture where administration, coaches, and staff all work together with the same goal — creating opportunities for student-athletes to succeed academically, athletically, and personally.
RC: How has the athletics program’s growth impacted the college as a whole?
RF: The growth of Olive-Harvey College athletics has had a major impact on the college as a whole. There is now a tremendous amount of school pride among both the staff and student body when it comes to our athletic programs.
When I first arrived in 2019, the mindset around athletics was very different. Now, there is an expectation that our teams are going to compete and win every time they step on the court or field. Of course, we understand that no team wins every game, but having that expectation and belief throughout the campus shows just how much the culture has changed.
Our athletic success has helped bring more energy, excitement, and unity to the college community, and people now take a great deal of pride in representing and supporting Olive-Harvey athletics.
RC: How do you see Olive-Harvey athletics contributing to the broader CCC athletics landscape?
RF: I believe Olive-Harvey College athletics contributing to the broader City Colleges of Chicago athletics landscape shows that success is possible for every CCC program with the right infrastructure, institutional support, and committed coaches.
When one CCC athletic program excels, it can motivate the others and help raise the standard across the conference. Our success demonstrates that with coaches who are willing to go the extra mile and truly invest in student-athletes academically, athletically, and personally, programs can become competitive and build winning cultures.
I think our growth has helped show that CCC athletics can compete at a high level while also providing student-athletes with strong academic support, opportunities for advancement, and a positive college experience.
RC: What’s next for Olive-Harvey athletics—where do you want the program to go in the next 5–10 years?
RF: My goal has always been to help Olive-Harvey College become a national powerhouse in athletics, but I also recognize that there are levels to getting there. First, you have to establish yourself as the best within the City Colleges of Chicago system. Next, you have to consistently compete as one of the top programs in NJCAA Region 4. From there, the goal is to earn respect and compete at the national level.
I believe we are moving in that direction. Our Women’s Basketball program set the tone by earning a trip to the NJCAA National Tournament in 2025, becoming the first City Colleges of Chicago women’s program to reach the national tournament since 2012, when Kim McQuarters led Malcolm X College to that stage.
When Coach Jeff Dillard led that breakthrough, it didn’t just represent success for one program—it raised the standard for the entire department. It showed our other coaches and student-athletes that reaching the national level is possible, and it created a belief system across all sports that we can get there again and again with continued hard work, commitment, and the right culture in place
RC: What goals are you still striving to accomplish?
RF: My short-term goal at Olive-Harvey College is for each program this upcoming season to compete for and win both City Colleges of Chicago Championships and NJCAA Region 4 titles.
Long term, my goal is to see our Volleyball, Men’s Basketball, and Baseball programs all reach the NJCAA National Tournament before I retire. That has been the ultimate vision — to build sustained success across multiple sports at the highest level and establish Olive-Harvey as a consistent national contender.
RC: What do you hope people say about Olive-Harvey athletics when they reflect on your leadership?
RF: At Olive-Harvey College, I hope people recognize that I put my blood, sweat, and tears into building this program into something the college can be proud of. More importantly, I hope it is seen as a program that not only represents the college well, but also makes the entire City Colleges of Chicago district, the City of Chicago, and the State of Illinois proud.
At the end of the day, I want my legacy to reflect a program that was built with passion, accountability, and a commitment to excellence—where student-athletes were developed, expectations were raised, and Olive-Harvey athletics earned respect at every level.