Kevin Rochlitz: Baltimore Ravens Executive and UW Graduate on Campus Sept. 10

Winning a Super Bowl in 2012 and knowing it all started at the University of Wyoming is one of the most memorable moments in Baltimore Ravens executive Kevin Rochlitz’s life.

Not bad for a Wyoming kid who is the Ravens’ senior vice president of corporate sales and business development. He has been with the NFL club since 2003 -- the year after the team won its first Super Bowl.

Rochlitz, a 1989 Powell High School graduate who earned a B.S. degree (1993) in marketing from UW, will be on the UW campus Sept. 10-11 to meet with College of Business students and UW Athletics Department interns.

He leads the Ravens’ corporate sales department, which includes national and regional partnerships, broadcasting contracts -- including day-to-day operations with WBAL-TV, WBAL Radio and 98Rock -- and M&T Bank Stadium suite sales.

Rochlitz says he comes back to UW whenever his schedule allows.

“I love coming back to the UW campus to see students because it is a great reminder to me where I came from,” he says. “This campus has grown, and it’s great to see the changes that have taken place. The University of Wyoming is a great place to get an education, and students need to know that. I want students to know that my UW education got me to this point in my career, and they can do it, too.”

Rochlitz will speak to Alpha Kappa PSI (professional business fraternity) members Thursday; athletics interns Friday morning; and with MBA students Friday afternoon.

His path to the NFL began as a UW athletics intern.

“The school is very special to me. I was given a chance to work in athletics as an intern with Paul Roach, Jim Hill, Joe Dowler and Kevin McKinney, and they instilled that Wyoming work ethic in me,” Rochlitz says. “They let me do many things that helped me grow as a business leader. They believed in me and gave me the tools to start my postcollege career. Without this opportunity, I would not be who I am today.”

Among the contracts Rochlitz completed for the Ravens are partnerships with MedStar Health, AAA, Visa, Coca-Cola, MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch, Verizon, Southwest Airlines, Ticketmaster, and Dietz and Watson. At M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play their home games, he created and sold the Bacardi Bar and Talon Pub, as well as the club-level bars.

In 2015, Rochlitz led the efforts to sell the first-ever suite-level naming rights in Baltimore Ravens history to Constellation Energy at M&T Bank Stadium. Rochlitz led a sales team in 2014 that completed a 10-year, $60 million partnership extension with M&T Bank, including the continuation of naming rights to M&T Bank Stadium and several community-focused programs. In 2012, he coordinated a partnership with Under Armour, which led to the team’s training facility being named the Under Armour Performance Center. 

Before joining the Ravens, Rochlitz spent five years as the senior vice president of sales for Mandalay Sports and Entertainment/Mandalay Pictures, owners of the Dayton Dragons and Frisco Rough Riders. He coordinated the new stadium construction and sold naming rights for each venue (Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and Dr. Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas). From 1996-97, Rochlitz was one of the youngest assistant athletics directors in NCAA Division I-A for the University of Miami.

Rochlitz’s trip back to his home state also coincides with a donation from him and his wife to the College of Business and the UW Athletics Department for internships.

“The reason I made a contribution to the College of Business and to the interns in the Athletics Department is because I want these students to continue to grow their education and learn on site during their college careers,” he says. “I also wanted to give back to the College of Business and UW Athletics Department, who gave me a chance.”

Rochlitz says he will always remember where he came from.

“Working in sports is unique, and not many have the chance to do the things I have done. To work for the Baltimore Ravens and the NFL for 13 years has been a privilege. Winning a Super Bowl and knowing it all started in Laramie is honestly a memorable moment in my life,” Rochlitz says. “This school is special, and the people in this state are hardworking. My parents led the way with me in making me work hard and always putting forth a great effort.”

He and his wife, Melissa, have a daughter, Riley, 12. He is the son of Powell’s Karla and Ken Rochlitz -- a former UW Cowboys basketball player.