SAN FRANCISCO – Employees of the USF Athletics department, and the fans lucky enough to know him, call him "Pop," but the nickname is not just shorthand. Mark Papadopoulos has accumulated nearly 20 years of work for USF, first beginning in the late 1990s before returning to the Hilltop in 2017.
Over that time, Papadopoulos's incredible work ethic, infectious laugh, and devotion to the Dons have helped make him a father figure to much of the department.
Now the Associate Athletics Director of Facilities and Special Projects, Papadopoulos is charged with facilitating gameday operations, which ranges from setup and cleanup to which employees are in charge of making sure the referees get to the court, maintaining Athletics facilities, overseeing facilities-related projects, and as serving as a liaison to the External Relations department to ensure a smooth and fun gameday experience for fans.