Staff Directory
Peter Pilling
- Title:
- Campbell Family Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education
- Email:
- Phone:
- 212-854-4774
- Alma Mater/Year:
- Brigham Young University '84
Peter Pilling was introduced as Columbia University’s Campbell Family Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Physical Education in February 2015 after serving as vice president at IMG College for nine years. Pilling is Columbia’s seventh athletic director since the position became full-time in 1931.
Pilling enters his 11th full academic year at the helm of a Columbia Intercollegiate Athletics Department which features 31 varsity sports, serves more than 750 student-athletes, and boasts nearly 150 years of athletics tradition.
During Pilling’s tenure, the Lions have claimed 11 team national championships, 16 individual national championships, 42 Ivy League team championships, and 94 individual conference or Ivy League titles. Columbia’s football program has undergone a complete transformation, capped by the Lions’ 2024 Ivy League Championship, the program's first in 63 years.
Columbia claimed five Ivy League team titles and saw three individuals earn national championships in 2025-26. Four-time All-American Michael Zheng successfully defended his NCAA Men’s Singles crown in the fall, while women’s basketball captured the 2026 WBIT Championship and women’s golf picked up its first Ivy title since 2007. The Lions finished No. 69 in the Learfield Cup Standings, the best for the University since 2017-18.
In 2024-25, Columbia’s women’s basketball program picked up its first outright Ivy League Championship and first NCAA Tournament win after earning an at-large berth for the second straight year. Men’s tennis made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Team Quarterfinals, and Zheng won the NCAA Individual Championship in the fall. The Lions’ baseball program returned to the NCAA Regionals after winning both the Ancient Eight regular season and tournament crowns.
Pilling also hired Kevin Hovde, fresh off winning the National Championship as an assistant coach at the University of Florida, as the head coach of men’s basketball in April 2025.
The 2023-24 academic year saw Columbia post five Ivy League team champions, the most since 2017-18. Columbia also successfully hosted several high-profile championship events, including a first-round NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament contest, the Ivy League Fencing Round Robin Championships, the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, the ITA National Indoor Men’s Championships, the Ivy League Baseball Tournament and the first three rounds of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament.
Additionally, Columbia opened the multi-level Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center at the Baker Athletics Complex in 2023. The state-of-the-art facility features both indoor and outdoor courts. It houses the Lions’ nationally ranked men’s and women’s tennis programs and provides membership opportunities to the New York City tennis community.
After guiding the athletics program through the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia returned to competition in 2021-22. The Lions picked up a national championship when the men’s lightweight varsity eight took gold at the IRA Championships. Columbia also won a pair of Ivy League Championships in men’s fencing and baseball and women’s basketball had arguably its finest season in program history. The Lions set new benchmarks for wins and conference wins and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), the deepest run by any team in Ivy League history.
Columbia also continued to upgrade its facilities, with Levien Gymnasium receiving a transformation in 2021. The project included updated branding and two new video boards to enhance the in-game experience for volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball. In 2023, Columbia opened the multi-level Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center, featuring both indoor and outdoor courts, which house the Lions’ nationally ranked men’s and women’s tennis programs.
During Pilling’s tenure, Columbia student-athletes also achieved at a high rate in the classroom: over 450 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 term grade point average, and over 2,000 earned Dean’s List honors. In addition, since 2016, 98 percent of all graduating student-athletes have secured employment, enrolled in graduate school, and/or completed training while securing employment.
Pilling oversaw and directed the creation of the Bubble at Baker, an air-supported structure placed over Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium that gives Columbia student-athletes a much-needed indoor practice facility from November through March. The Bubble at Baker opened in January 2017. In 2019, Columbia renamed the Levien Gymnasium basketball court after one of its most influential and supportive alums, Jonathan D. Schiller.
In November 2016, he introduced a new branding and recruiting initiative #OnlyHere, which focuses on the assortment of advantages to the Columbia student-athlete. #OnlyHere emphasizes Columbia’s extraordinary location in New York City, unparalleled academic and career opportunities, an elite-level athletic performance program, and a “built to win” foundation in facilities and personnel.
In June 2017, Pilling unveiled a new multimedia agreement with national marketing giants JMI Sports and IMG for Columbia Athletics, a contract that provides valuable national and international brand exposure and recognition to the University community and New York City, while also providing for an even greater experience for student-athletes. In July 2018, Columbia also unveiled a new and improved website, www.gocolumbialions.com, hosted by SIDEARM Sports, a new digital ticketing platform powered by national leader Paciolan.
Pilling’s first year at Columbia also saw the hiring of head coaches for football (nine-time Ivy League champion Al Bagnoli) and women’s basketball (Megan Griffith).
Before arriving in Morningside Heights, Pilling accumulated an avid sports management background, as he has previously served in leadership roles as Vice President at IMG College, senior associate athletics director at Brigham Young University, and associate athletics director at Villanova.
As Vice President at IMG College, the nation’s largest collegiate sports marketing company, from 2006-15, Pilling built extensive administrative experience working with a variety of NCAA Division I athletics departments including Brigham Young, TCU, Baylor, Gonzaga, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Before his time at IMG College, Pilling worked at BYU where he was the Senior Associate Athletics Director managing athletic operations including finance, development, media relations, corporate sponsorships, marketing and promotions. He also served as the sports administrator for the men’s and women’s basketball, tennis, track and field, and swimming squads.
A former board member and past president of NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators), Pilling has also served on the Board of Directors for NCLA (National Collegiate Licensing Association). In June 2001, he received the 2001 NACMA National Outstanding Individual Achievement Award.
A graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Pilling continued his education at Ohio University, where he earned a Master's degree in Sports Administration. At both BYU and Villanova, Pilling served as an adjunct professor in the business department, where he taught a sports business course.
Pilling and his wife, Deanna, have four children: Travis, Kyler, C.J., and McKenna, two daughters-in-law, Sara and Nicole, son-in-law Jordan, and four grandchildren: June, Oliver, Jack and Ren.
Pilling enters his 11th full academic year at the helm of a Columbia Intercollegiate Athletics Department which features 31 varsity sports, serves more than 750 student-athletes, and boasts nearly 150 years of athletics tradition.
During Pilling’s tenure, the Lions have claimed 11 team national championships, 16 individual national championships, 42 Ivy League team championships, and 94 individual conference or Ivy League titles. Columbia’s football program has undergone a complete transformation, capped by the Lions’ 2024 Ivy League Championship, the program's first in 63 years.
Columbia claimed five Ivy League team titles and saw three individuals earn national championships in 2025-26. Four-time All-American Michael Zheng successfully defended his NCAA Men’s Singles crown in the fall, while women’s basketball captured the 2026 WBIT Championship and women’s golf picked up its first Ivy title since 2007. The Lions finished No. 69 in the Learfield Cup Standings, the best for the University since 2017-18.
In 2024-25, Columbia’s women’s basketball program picked up its first outright Ivy League Championship and first NCAA Tournament win after earning an at-large berth for the second straight year. Men’s tennis made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Team Quarterfinals, and Zheng won the NCAA Individual Championship in the fall. The Lions’ baseball program returned to the NCAA Regionals after winning both the Ancient Eight regular season and tournament crowns.
Pilling also hired Kevin Hovde, fresh off winning the National Championship as an assistant coach at the University of Florida, as the head coach of men’s basketball in April 2025.
The 2023-24 academic year saw Columbia post five Ivy League team champions, the most since 2017-18. Columbia also successfully hosted several high-profile championship events, including a first-round NCAA Women’s Soccer Tournament contest, the Ivy League Fencing Round Robin Championships, the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, the ITA National Indoor Men’s Championships, the Ivy League Baseball Tournament and the first three rounds of the NCAA Men’s Tennis Tournament.
Additionally, Columbia opened the multi-level Philip and Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center at the Baker Athletics Complex in 2023. The state-of-the-art facility features both indoor and outdoor courts. It houses the Lions’ nationally ranked men’s and women’s tennis programs and provides membership opportunities to the New York City tennis community.
After guiding the athletics program through the COVID-19 pandemic, Columbia returned to competition in 2021-22. The Lions picked up a national championship when the men’s lightweight varsity eight took gold at the IRA Championships. Columbia also won a pair of Ivy League Championships in men’s fencing and baseball and women’s basketball had arguably its finest season in program history. The Lions set new benchmarks for wins and conference wins and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT), the deepest run by any team in Ivy League history.
Columbia also continued to upgrade its facilities, with Levien Gymnasium receiving a transformation in 2021. The project included updated branding and two new video boards to enhance the in-game experience for volleyball and men’s and women’s basketball. In 2023, Columbia opened the multi-level Philip & Cheryl Milstein Family Tennis Center, featuring both indoor and outdoor courts, which house the Lions’ nationally ranked men’s and women’s tennis programs.
During Pilling’s tenure, Columbia student-athletes also achieved at a high rate in the classroom: over 450 student-athletes earned a perfect 4.0 term grade point average, and over 2,000 earned Dean’s List honors. In addition, since 2016, 98 percent of all graduating student-athletes have secured employment, enrolled in graduate school, and/or completed training while securing employment.
Pilling oversaw and directed the creation of the Bubble at Baker, an air-supported structure placed over Rocco B. Commisso Soccer Stadium that gives Columbia student-athletes a much-needed indoor practice facility from November through March. The Bubble at Baker opened in January 2017. In 2019, Columbia renamed the Levien Gymnasium basketball court after one of its most influential and supportive alums, Jonathan D. Schiller.
In November 2016, he introduced a new branding and recruiting initiative #OnlyHere, which focuses on the assortment of advantages to the Columbia student-athlete. #OnlyHere emphasizes Columbia’s extraordinary location in New York City, unparalleled academic and career opportunities, an elite-level athletic performance program, and a “built to win” foundation in facilities and personnel.
In June 2017, Pilling unveiled a new multimedia agreement with national marketing giants JMI Sports and IMG for Columbia Athletics, a contract that provides valuable national and international brand exposure and recognition to the University community and New York City, while also providing for an even greater experience for student-athletes. In July 2018, Columbia also unveiled a new and improved website, www.gocolumbialions.com, hosted by SIDEARM Sports, a new digital ticketing platform powered by national leader Paciolan.
Pilling’s first year at Columbia also saw the hiring of head coaches for football (nine-time Ivy League champion Al Bagnoli) and women’s basketball (Megan Griffith).
Before arriving in Morningside Heights, Pilling accumulated an avid sports management background, as he has previously served in leadership roles as Vice President at IMG College, senior associate athletics director at Brigham Young University, and associate athletics director at Villanova.
As Vice President at IMG College, the nation’s largest collegiate sports marketing company, from 2006-15, Pilling built extensive administrative experience working with a variety of NCAA Division I athletics departments including Brigham Young, TCU, Baylor, Gonzaga, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.
Before his time at IMG College, Pilling worked at BYU where he was the Senior Associate Athletics Director managing athletic operations including finance, development, media relations, corporate sponsorships, marketing and promotions. He also served as the sports administrator for the men’s and women’s basketball, tennis, track and field, and swimming squads.
A former board member and past president of NACMA (National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators), Pilling has also served on the Board of Directors for NCLA (National Collegiate Licensing Association). In June 2001, he received the 2001 NACMA National Outstanding Individual Achievement Award.
A graduate of Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Pilling continued his education at Ohio University, where he earned a Master's degree in Sports Administration. At both BYU and Villanova, Pilling served as an adjunct professor in the business department, where he taught a sports business course.
Pilling and his wife, Deanna, have four children: Travis, Kyler, C.J., and McKenna, two daughters-in-law, Sara and Nicole, son-in-law Jordan, and four grandchildren: June, Oliver, Jack and Ren.
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