Robert "Bob" Backus is set for his 31st year with SUNY Delhi Athletics for the 2023-24 season and 16th as Director of Athletics. Backus previously coached the men’s & women’s cross country and track & field programs from 1993 to 2008, where his squads won 15 NJCAA National Championships. He was promoted to Director of Athletics during the summer of 2008, returning to the post he once previously held from 1995 to 1997.

The SUNY Delhi Broncos Athletic Department sponsors 19 intercollegiate programs, all of which are affiliated with NCAA Division III. The Broncos are currently members of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and the All-Atlantic Region Track & Field Conference (AARTFC) across all their program offerings.

Under Backus' guidance as Director of Athletics, the Broncos have won ten national championships, including the school's first national title outside of cross country and track and field when the men's golf team won the 2017 USCAA Championship. His time has seen SUNY Delhi earn national championship appearances in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, and track & field.

Backus successfully oversaw SUNY Delhi’s transition from the NJCAA to four-year athletics and the Broncos’ current transition to NCAA Division III. After a successful exploratory year in 2017-18, SUNY Delhi was approved NCAA provisional membership for 2018-19, with full-time membership anticipated as early as 2021-22.

SUNY Delhi transitioned to four-year athletics beginning with the 2015-16 season. Backus prepared for the move by establishing partnerships between the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for the athletic programs. He helped put the Broncos and their standout facilities on the four-year map by serving as hosts for USCAA national championships and invitationals in swimming & diving and track & field.

He previously served on the USCAA Board of Directors and was the President of the Northeastern Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (NIAC), a conference that served as SUNY Delhi's home prior to their NCAA transition. Backus was recognized as the Garth Pleasant Honorary USCAA Athletic Director of the Year in 2016 and the NJCAA Region III Athletic Director of the Year in 2013.

Backus earned his Master’s Degree in Physical Education from Eastern Kentucky University in 1991 after receiving his Bachelor's in Liberal Arts from Oneonta State in 1987. He also attended Mohawk Valley Community College before completing his Bachelor's Degree at Oneonta State. Backus competing in college cross country for four years.