ACC Commissioner John Swofford

Now in his 15th year as Commissioner, and just the fourth in Atlantic Coast Conference history, John Swofford has made a dramatic impact on the ACC and college athletics. Swofford has built his career on the appropriate balance of academics, athletic achievement and integrity and is regarded as one of the top administrators in the NCAA.

In addition to overseeing one of the nation's largest athletic conferences, Swofford has been pivotal in positioning the Atlantic Coast Conference for the future.

 

 

VISION

• In July of 2010, Swofford’s leadership and negotiating skills helped the conference secure a new 12-year multimedia rights agreement with ESPN. The extensive television package begins with the 2011-12 academic year and will more than double television revenue to the 12 member institutions. In addition to reaching new heights financially, ACC content will now be televised more, both regionally and nationally, than at any point in league history, while also best positioning the conference within the continuous, ever-changing world of technology.
• In 2003, on behalf of the league’s member institutions and the ACC Council of Presidents, Swofford led the conference through expansion. In becoming a 12-member league, Swofford helped bring the ACC extended and enhanced exposure across television and national radio packages and strongly positioned it for the future.
• The ACC showcased its inaugural Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game in 2005 to a sellout crowd. Now in its seventh year, the game will be played in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium for the second consecutive season. Since becoming Commissioner, Swofford has been responsible for securing increased bowl opportunities and for the second year, the ACC has agreements in place with nine bowls including the Discover Orange Bowl, home of the ACC Champion since 2006. Highly respected by his peers, Swofford was a force in the development and growth of the Bowl Championship Series and is the only person to serve two terms as its Coordinator.
• Under Swofford’s tenure, the prestigious ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament has traveled to many dynamic cities within the footprint of the league including Atlanta, Ga., Washington DC and Tampa, Fla., in addition to the traditional stops in Greensboro and Charlotte. The 2001 ACC Tournament in Atlanta set NCAA attendance records for single session (40,083), per session average (36,505) and total attendance (182,525).
• In the sport of basketball, Swofford was instrumental in creating the ACC/Big Ten Challenge that began in men’s basketball in 1999. Then in 2007, the two conferences hosted the inaugural ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge.
• In his first year as Commissioner, Swofford placed an added emphasis on the development of women’s basketball in the ACC with the hiring of an Associate Commissioner for Women’s Basketball to oversee all aspects of the sport on both a conference and national level.

STUDENT-ATHLETE WELFARE & COMMUNITY OUTREACH

• A long-time advocate of the importance of academics and student-athlete welfare, Swofford stimulated the formation of the league’s first-ever ACC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This group of current ACC student-athletes gives the conference direct feedback on their experiences competing at the highest level of college athletics.
• Swofford was instrumental in the enhancement of the league’s ACC Postgraduate Scholarship Awards program by ensuring that additional scholarship dollars are distributed to more student-athletes than at any point in the league’s history.
• The long-time partnership between the ACC and United Way has flourished under Swofford’s leadership. His commitment to public service and volunteerism across our member institutions has been highlighted through the league’s Public Service Announcements. Across the collegiate landscape, the relationship with United Way is unique to the ACC and its member institutions.
• Under Swofford’s direction this past year, the ACC launched its “Community Connections” outreach program which sponsored educational and mentoring activities along with donating books to the communities in which the league holds its conference championships. The initiative was created to teach life lessons to elementary and middle school students by the ACC’s student-athletes visiting local schools to discuss topics such as the importance of healthy living and sportsmanship.

ATHLETIC EXCELLENCE

• During Swofford’s first 14 years as Commissioner, ACC teams have won 52 national team titles and 1,552 ACC teams have participated in various NCAA championships - an average of over 110 NCAA teams per year.
• In the 2010-11 Division I Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup Standings, the ACC was the only conference with four schools in the Top 10; one of two leagues with five members in the Top 20 and one of only three conferences with all of its members in the Top 75. This past year marks the 10th consecutive year that the ACC has placed four or more teams in the Top 30.
• In football, at least seven ACC teams have earned bowl bids in each of the last five seasons. In 2008, the conference set an NCAA record when 10 of its 12 teams (83%) participated in bowl play.
• During his tenure, the ACC has won five NCAA Men’s Basketball titles, more than any other conference. In addition, the league was represented by three of its women’s basketball programs in the 2006 NCAA Women’s Basketball Final Four. In that same year, it was an all-ACC final as the conference claimed its second NCAA Women’s Basketball National title.

A native of North Wilkesboro, NC, Swofford was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina and played on UNC’s 1971 ACC Football Championship team. He received his Masters of Education in Athletic Administration from Ohio University and then began his career at the University of Virginia in 1973. He returned to his alma mater in 1976 and became the school’s athletic director on May 1, 1980. At the age of 31, he was the youngest major college Athletics Director in the nation at the time and served as its Director of Athletics from 1980-1997. UNC’s athletic program led the league in both ACC and NCAA Championships during Swofford’s tenure as Athletic Director.

John and his wife Nora reside in Greensboro, NC, and together they have three children: Amie, Chad and Autumn, who is married to Sherman Wooden. Autumn and Sherman welcomed Maya, their first child, to the family in April of 2010.

John D. Swofford, Commissioner
Atlantic Coast Conference

Personal Information
Full Name:John Douglas Swofford
Hometown:North Wilkesboro, NC
Wife:Nora Swofford
Children: Amie, Chad, Autumn (husband Sherman Wooden)
Grandchildren: Maya

Education
High School: Wilkes Central High School, 1967
North Wilkesboro, NC

College:University of North Carolina, 1971
Morehead Scholarship Recipient
BA in Industrial Relations

Graduate:Ohio University, 1973
MEd. in Athletics Administration

Playing Experience
1965-67 Two-time All-State QB and three-sport MVP at Wilkes Central High School

1969-71 North Carolina varsity football team quarterback and defensive back
Peach Bowl, 1970
Gator Bowl, 1971
ACC Champions, 1971
ACC Academic Honor Roll, 1970-71

Athletic Administration Experience
1973-76 Ticket Manager/Asst. to the Director of Athletic Facilities and Finance
University of Virginia

1976-79 Assistant Athletics Director and Business Manager
University of North Carolina

1979-80 Assistant Executive Vice-President of the Educational Foundation
University of North Carolina

1980-97 Director of Athletics
University of North Carolina

1997-Commissioner
Atlantic Coast Conference

Membership on Boards and Committees
Sports Business Journal’s Sports Business Awards Committee, 2011-present

NCAA Men's College Basketball Officiating, LLC Board, 2010-present

National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Honorary Board, 2009-present

College Football Officiating, LLC Board of Managers, 2008-present

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Advisory Board, 2008-present

Wyndham Championship Board of Directors, 2002-present

National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee, 2002-present

BCS Coordinator, 2000-01, 2008-09

IA Collegiate Commissioner’s Assoc. (Chair), 2005-07

NCAA Football Board of Directors (President), 2004-05

NCAA Executive Committee, 1995-97

NCAA Division I Championship Committee (Chair), 1995-97

NCAA Special Committee to Study a Division I-A Football Championship, 1994-95

President of NACDA, 1993-94

NCAA Special Events Committee, 1987-91

NCAA Communications Committee (Chair), 1987-89

NCAA Football Television Committee (Chair), 1984

Honors and Awards
Corbett Award, 2011 (presented annually by NACDA as the highest honor one can achieve in collegiate athletics administration)

Achievement in Business Award, 2011 (presented annually by Ohio University’s College of Business)

Father of the Year, 2011 (recognized by the Greater Greensboro Area Father’s Day Council)

North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, 2009

Homer Rice Award, 2005 (presented by the Division 1A Athletic Directors’ Association)

Horizon Award, 2004 (presented by the Atlanta Sports Council recognizing the National Sports Business Executive of the Year)

Chick-fil-A Bowl Hall of Fame, 2003

Fifth most influential person in U.S. sports by the Sporting News, 2003

Outstanding American Award for the Triangle Chapter of the College Football Hall of Fame, 2002

North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame, 2002

Ohio University’s Charles R. Higgins Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1984