Duke Preston enters his ninth season with the Buccaneers and third as the vice president of player engagement. After joining the Buccaneers prior to the 2015 season, Preston spent his first six seasons with the organization as the director of player engagement.
As vice president of player engagement, Preston seeks to engage, transform and empower players to realize their maximum potential as men and professional football players. As such, the foundational approach of Player Engagement is to address the hearts and minds of Buccaneers players by creating authentic and impactful relationships by which the organization is able to fully supply them with tools for success. Preston leads the facilitation of programming aimed at character and leadership development, career development, financial education, continued education and mental health & wellness.
Preston came to Tampa Bay from the University of Notre Dame, where he worked as the football team's Director of Player Development (2014- 2015), following time spent as Director of Student-Athlete Welfare & Development (2013-2014). Prior to joining Notre Dame, Preston worked as an Area Director/Program Spokesman for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (2010-2013).
Preston – a former offensive lineman – played collegiately at the University of Illinois, before being drafted in the fourth round (122nd overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. In a five-year NFL career, Preston played in 59 games with 20 starts, spending time with the Bills, the Green Bay Packers and the Dallas Cowboys. While at Illinois, Preston earned a bachelor's degree in speech communication and began work on a master's degree in educational policy studies. Following his playing career, Preston earned a master's degree in Christian education from the Dallas Theological Seminary. Preston is also a loving husband to his wife, Kavanagh, and a dedicated father to their four children.
