Stanford hires former Nike CEO John Donahoe as athletic director, AP source says
A person familiar with the decision said Donahoe will become the school's eighth athletic director and replace Bernard Muir, who stepped down this year. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the hiring hadn't been announced.
ESPN first reported the move.
Donahoe graduated from Stanford Business School and has worked at companies like Nike, Bain & Company and eBay in his career. He was CEO at Nike from 2020-24.
He takes over one of the countries most successful athletic programs with Stanford having won at least one NCAA title in 49 straight years starting in 1976-77 and a record 137 NCAA team titles overall.
But the Cardinal struggled in the high-profile sports of football and men's basketball under Muir's tenure, leading to the decision to hire former Stanford and NFL star Andrew Luck to oversee the football program as its general manager.
The Cardinal are looking to rebound in football after going to three Rose Bowls under former coach David Shaw in Muir's first four years as AD.
Shaw resigned in 2022 following a second straight 3-9 season and Muir's hire, Troy Taylor, has posted back-to-back 3-9 seasons.
The men's basketball program hasn't made the NCAA Tournament since Muir's second season in 2013-14 under former coach Johnny Dawkins.
Dawkins was fired in 2016 and replaced by Jerod Haase, who failed to make the tournament once in eight years.
Muir hired Kyle Smith last March to take over and the Cardinal went 21-14 for their most wins in 10 years.
Muir also hired Kate Paye as women's basketball coach last year after Hall of Famer Tara VanDerveer retired. The Cardinal went 16-15 this past season and in missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1987.
Muir also oversaw the Cardinal's transition to the ACC this past year after the school's long-term home, the Pac-12, broke apart.
___
AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Philip Rivers likely won't be a first ballot entry into Hall of Fame in 2026
Former Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers becomes eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2026. And while his former teammate, tight end Antonio Gates, was enshrined into Canton on Saturday, Rivers may have to wait a but longer. Rivers will be part of a loaded list of first-time candidates in 2026, and that is the main reason why Rivers could be bypassed when the committee votes next spring. On that list are Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald and Bill Belichick. All three of them should pretty much be considered locks to be chosen for next year's class and since a class is generally pretty small (the 2025 class only had four members), Rivers will probably be waiting at least one more year. Eli Manning, who was chosen in the same draft as Rivers and is connected to him historically as the two were traded for each other, won two Super Bowls while Rivers never played in the big game. Manning was not chosen in his first year of eligibility, but because he won those two Super Bowls (and beat Tom Brady in each of them), one would think he'll get in ahead of Rivers. Then you have the fact that the committee often doesn't choose multiple players who played the same position to be in the same class, and that could keep Rivers waiting for several years. Make no mistake, though there are some who will argue whether or not Rivers deserves to be in the Hall of Fame, he undoubtedly does. He ranks sixth in NFL history in passing yards (63,440), sixth in touchdown passes (421) and ninth in wins (134). READ:Chargers great Antonio Gates elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame Four of the quarterbacks who have more wins than Rivers (Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, John Elway and Dan Marino) have already made it to Canton. The other four are Tom Brady, Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers, four players who will all join them at some point. Rivers was Chargers football for many years, a passionate player who left everything on the field and is one of the most loved and respected players in franchise history. He took the team to the playoffs six times and to the AFC Championship Game once. The only thing that eluded him was the Super Bowl. Rivers will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame at some point, but fans may have to wait a few years for that to be a reality. MORE CHARGERS CONTENT Chargers acquire Micah Parsons in proposed deal that sends Cowboys Najee Harris Trey Lance has potentially career-altering performance in Hall of Fame Game Chargers late-round pick has already locked himself into a roster spot These 4 Chargers players must show us something in Hall of Fame Game Chargers given close to no chance to win their first Super Bowl in 2025
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Colton Cowser's leaping catch
Colton Cowser makes a sweet leaping catch at the wall to retire Michael Busch in the bottom of the 1st inning
Yahoo
18 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Nico Hoerner's RBI ground-rule double
Nico Hoerner hits an RBI ground-rule double to left field, scoring Ian Happ to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning
