Jeremy Foley
Encyclopedia
Jeremy N. Foley is an American university sports administrator and former college athlete. Foley is currently the athletic director
for the Florida Gators
Division I sports program of the University of Florida
located in Gainesville, Florida
. He also serves as the chief financial officer
of the University Athletic Association
(UAA), the private non-profit corporation that is responsible for the administration and financial management of the Florida Gators sports program.
in 1952, and raised in New London, New Hampshire
. He graduated from the Holderness School
in New Hampshire
in 1970. He attended Hobart College
in Geneva, New York
, where he played football and lacrosse, and was a member of Kappa Sigma
fraternity (Delta Phi chapter); he graduated with a bachelor of arts
degree in psychology in 1974. In 1976, he completed a master's degree
in sports administration from Ohio University
in Athens, Ohio
.
Bill Carr
was appointed Florida's athletic director in 1979 at age 33, younger than all of the then-current head sports coaches at Florida. When Carr left in 1986, Jeremy Foley was named the interim athletic director. The athletic director search committee selected an older, more experienced candidate when it recommended the hiring of Bill Arnsparger
in 1987. Foley was disappointed not to have been selected, but accepted the position of senior associate athletic director. Arnsparger resigned in 1992, and at age 39, Foley was named the Florida athletic director.
as the head football coach in 2004 and Billy Donovan
as the men's basketball coach in 1996. The sports program has finished as the top-ranked overall program in the Southeastern Conference
(SEC) in all but one year under his tenure. On June 22, 2007, Foley and the UAA signed an eleven-year employment contract "worth up to $1.2 million annually with bonuses, making him the highest paid athletic director in the country and keeping him in Gainesville until retirement age." University of Florida President Bernie Machen
said "Jeremy's contract is what you would expect for the best athletic director in the nation."
Jeremy Foley's tenure as Florida's athletic director has generally been considered extremely successful by Gator alumni and supporters. He is most notably credited for his hiring of Meyer and Donovan who have won national championships at Florida in the two most popular intercollegiate sports. Foley's successful hires also include Becky Burleigh
, the first and only coach of the fledgling Florida Gators women's soccer program that won the 1998 national title, and more recently, Tim Walton
, whose Gators softball
team advanced to the Women's College World Series in four consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2011.
Foley has also maintained successful and long-term relationships with iconic coaches who were hired before he became athletic director, most notably men's golf coach Buddy Alexander
and volleyball coach Mary Wise
.
Though he demonstrates a fierce loyalty to coaches that bring success to Florida, Foley has proven willing to remove unsuccessful coaches, at times quickly, when he has become convinced a change was necessary. Carolyn Peck
, who led Purdue University
to a women's basketball NCAA championship, was removed after her fifth season in Gainesville, and two-time College World Series World Series coach Andy Lopez
was fired after six seasons.
While Foley's firing of football coach Ron Zook
midway through the 2004 season was unusual at the time, after the success of Urban Meyer's football teams, other universities have more commonly chosen to jettison football coaches mid-season in order to gain an advantage in the hiring process.
As athletic director, few Gator fans have questioned Foley's dedication and enthusiasm. He personally attends many athletic competitions for all sports on campus and travels with Florida's teams for significant events. In addition to the Gators' success on the playing field, the University of Florida's is one of the few athletic programs in the nation that not only supports itself financially, but makes regular seven-figure contributions to the general fund of its university.
One of Foley's responsibilities as Florida athletic director is to act as chief financial officer
(CFO) for the University Athletic Association
. In that capacity he has overseen $180 million in capital improvements, including two major expansions of the football stadium, the addition of a multi-purpose field house on campus and new facilities for tennis, track & field, soccer, baseball, golf, softball and swimming. Jeremy Foley manages an annual budget of more than $89 million, but he is particularly proud of the athletic program's academic success. "The national average for student-athlete graduation is around 76 percent," he said. "At UF, 92 percent of student-athletes graduate."
several times.
In addition to being a member of the UAA board of directors, Foley also serves on the board of directors for Gator Boosters, Inc.
In 1995, Foley was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Sports Administration and Facility Management Department at Ohio University
.
The UF Alumni Association Board of Directors named Foley an Honorary Alumnus in October 2000.
From 1997-2002, Foley served on the NCAA Division I Management Council, the most powerful group (below the Board of Directors) within the NCAA.
In June 2006, Street & Smith
named Foley as its SportsBusiness Journal National Athletics Director of the Year.
The National Football Foundation
awarded Foley the John L. Toner Award in 2007, recognizing him as its national athletic director of the year.
Foley's alma mater, the Holderness School
, a small, private, college preparatory school near Plymouth, New Hampshire
presented him with its 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award on November 28, 2007.
On April 25, 2008, the Hobart College Alumni Association presented Foley with its Medal of Excellence, its highest honor, for outstanding achievements as the University of Florida athletic director, which has brought honor and distinction to his alma mater.
In 2009 the United States Sports Academy
awarded Foley its Carl Maddox Sport Management Award in recognition of his contributions to the growth and development of sport enterprise through effective management practices.
Athletic director
An athletic director is an administrator at many American colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and related staff involved in intercollegiate or interscholastic athletic programs...
for the Florida Gators
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
Division I sports program of the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
located in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
. He also serves as the chief financial officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
of the University Athletic Association
University of Florida Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
(UAA), the private non-profit corporation that is responsible for the administration and financial management of the Florida Gators sports program.
Early life and education
Foley was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1952, and raised in New London, New Hampshire
New London, New Hampshire
New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,397 at the 2010 census.The town center, where 1,415 people resided at the 2010 census, is defined as the New London census-designated place , and is located on a hilltop along New Hampshire Route 114 north...
. He graduated from the Holderness School
Holderness School
The Holderness School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Holderness, near Plymouth, New Hampshire in the United States. The student body of 275 is drawn from 22 U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. While Holderness operates primarily as a boarding school, it also enrolls 50...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
in 1970. He attended Hobart College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...
in Geneva, New York
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
, where he played football and lacrosse, and was a member of Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
fraternity (Delta Phi chapter); he graduated with a bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in psychology in 1974. In 1976, he completed a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in sports administration from Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
in Athens, Ohio
Athens, Ohio
Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...
.
Starting at the bottom
Foley started his career at the University of Florida as an intern in the UAA ticket office in August 1976. When his internship ended, Foley was hired as a full-time employee and was soon promoted to ticket manager. Two years later he was named director of ticket and game operations. After just one additional year, he became an assistant athletic director and spent the next twelve years learning every facet of Gators athletics. From 1981 to 1986, Foley was the associate athletic director for business affairs.Bill Carr
William C. Carr
William Curtis "Bill" Carr, III is an American college sports consultant. Carr is a former college football player, and previously served as the athletic director at the University of Florida and the University of Houston.- Early life :...
was appointed Florida's athletic director in 1979 at age 33, younger than all of the then-current head sports coaches at Florida. When Carr left in 1986, Jeremy Foley was named the interim athletic director. The athletic director search committee selected an older, more experienced candidate when it recommended the hiring of Bill Arnsparger
Bill Arnsparger
William Stephen "Bill" Arnsparger is a former American college and professional football coach.- Early years :Arnsparger was born in Paris, Kentucky in 1926. He attended Paris High School, and became connected with the school's longtime football and basketball coach, Blanton Collier...
in 1987. Foley was disappointed not to have been selected, but accepted the position of senior associate athletic director. Arnsparger resigned in 1992, and at age 39, Foley was named the Florida athletic director.
Ending at the top
Foley has served as athletic director since 1992, and has been responsible for the hiring of several of Florida's most notable coaches, including Urban MeyerUrban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer, III is an American football coach and former player. He is head football coach at Ohio State University, having been hired for the position in November 2011...
as the head football coach in 2004 and Billy Donovan
Billy Donovan
William John "Billy" Donovan, Jr. is an American college basketball coach and a former college and professional basketball player. Donovan is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's basketball team of the University of Florida...
as the men's basketball coach in 1996. The sports program has finished as the top-ranked overall program in the Southeastern Conference
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
(SEC) in all but one year under his tenure. On June 22, 2007, Foley and the UAA signed an eleven-year employment contract "worth up to $1.2 million annually with bonuses, making him the highest paid athletic director in the country and keeping him in Gainesville until retirement age." University of Florida President Bernie Machen
Bernie Machen
James Bernard "Bernie" Machen is an American university professor and administrator. Machen is a native of Mississippi, and earned multiple academic degrees before becoming a university administrator and president...
said "Jeremy's contract is what you would expect for the best athletic director in the nation."
Jeremy Foley's tenure as Florida's athletic director has generally been considered extremely successful by Gator alumni and supporters. He is most notably credited for his hiring of Meyer and Donovan who have won national championships at Florida in the two most popular intercollegiate sports. Foley's successful hires also include Becky Burleigh
Becky Burleigh
Rebecca Lund "Becky" Burleigh is an American college soccer coach and former college soccer player. She is the current head coach of the Florida Gators women's soccer team of the University of Florida...
, the first and only coach of the fledgling Florida Gators women's soccer program that won the 1998 national title, and more recently, Tim Walton
Tim Walton
Tim Walton is an American college softball coach and a former college and professional baseball player. Walton is currently the head coach of the Florida Gators softball team of the University of Florida...
, whose Gators softball
Florida Gators softball
The Florida Gators softball team represents the University of Florida in the sport of softball. The Florida Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Southeastern Conference...
team advanced to the Women's College World Series in four consecutive seasons from 2008 to 2011.
Foley has also maintained successful and long-term relationships with iconic coaches who were hired before he became athletic director, most notably men's golf coach Buddy Alexander
Buddy Alexander
Stewart Murray "Buddy" Alexander is an American college golf coach and former amateur golfer. Alexander is the current head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team of the University of Florida...
and volleyball coach Mary Wise
Mary Wise
Mary Wise is an American college volleyball coach, former player and author. Wise is the current head coach of the Florida Gators women's volleyball team of the University of Florida...
.
Though he demonstrates a fierce loyalty to coaches that bring success to Florida, Foley has proven willing to remove unsuccessful coaches, at times quickly, when he has become convinced a change was necessary. Carolyn Peck
Carolyn Peck
Carolyn Arlene Peck is an American television sportscaster and former college basketball coach. She was was the head coach for the women's basketball teams of Purdue University and the University of Florida, and also the first head coach-general manager in the history of the WNBA's Orlando Miracle...
, who led Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
to a women's basketball NCAA championship, was removed after her fifth season in Gainesville, and two-time College World Series World Series coach Andy Lopez
Andy Lopez
Andy Lopez is an American college baseball coach. He is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Arizona, and he has previously served as the head baseball coach at California State University Dominguez Hills, Pepperdine University and the University of Florida...
was fired after six seasons.
While Foley's firing of football coach Ron Zook
Ron Zook
Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...
midway through the 2004 season was unusual at the time, after the success of Urban Meyer's football teams, other universities have more commonly chosen to jettison football coaches mid-season in order to gain an advantage in the hiring process.
As athletic director, few Gator fans have questioned Foley's dedication and enthusiasm. He personally attends many athletic competitions for all sports on campus and travels with Florida's teams for significant events. In addition to the Gators' success on the playing field, the University of Florida's is one of the few athletic programs in the nation that not only supports itself financially, but makes regular seven-figure contributions to the general fund of its university.
One of Foley's responsibilities as Florida athletic director is to act as chief financial officer
Chief financial officer
The chief financial officer or Chief financial and operating officer is a corporate officer primarily responsible for managing the financial risks of the corporation. This officer is also responsible for financial planning and record-keeping, as well as financial reporting to higher management...
(CFO) for the University Athletic Association
University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division III. Member teams are located in Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York...
. In that capacity he has overseen $180 million in capital improvements, including two major expansions of the football stadium, the addition of a multi-purpose field house on campus and new facilities for tennis, track & field, soccer, baseball, golf, softball and swimming. Jeremy Foley manages an annual budget of more than $89 million, but he is particularly proud of the athletic program's academic success. "The national average for student-athlete graduation is around 76 percent," he said. "At UF, 92 percent of student-athletes graduate."
Honors & awards
Foley is an ardent runner and has competed in the Boston MarathonBoston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...
several times.
In addition to being a member of the UAA board of directors, Foley also serves on the board of directors for Gator Boosters, Inc.
In 1995, Foley was the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Sports Administration and Facility Management Department at Ohio University
Ohio University
Ohio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
.
The UF Alumni Association Board of Directors named Foley an Honorary Alumnus in October 2000.
From 1997-2002, Foley served on the NCAA Division I Management Council, the most powerful group (below the Board of Directors) within the NCAA.
In June 2006, Street & Smith
Street & Smith
Street & Smith or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as pulp fiction and dime novels. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks...
named Foley as its SportsBusiness Journal National Athletics Director of the Year.
The National Football Foundation
National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1947 by General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Black Knights football coach Earl "Red" Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice...
awarded Foley the John L. Toner Award in 2007, recognizing him as its national athletic director of the year.
Foley's alma mater, the Holderness School
Holderness School
The Holderness School is a private, coeducational college-preparatory school in Holderness, near Plymouth, New Hampshire in the United States. The student body of 275 is drawn from 22 U.S. states and 14 foreign countries. While Holderness operates primarily as a boarding school, it also enrolls 50...
, a small, private, college preparatory school near Plymouth, New Hampshire
Plymouth, New Hampshire
Plymouth is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. Plymouth is located at the convergence of the Pemigewasset and Baker rivers. The population was 6,990 at the 2010 census...
presented him with its 2007 Distinguished Alumni Award on November 28, 2007.
On April 25, 2008, the Hobart College Alumni Association presented Foley with its Medal of Excellence, its highest honor, for outstanding achievements as the University of Florida athletic director, which has brought honor and distinction to his alma mater.
In 2009 the United States Sports Academy
United States Sports Academy
The United States Sports Academy is an accredited, sport-specific institution located in Daphne, Alabama. It offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral degree programs as well as certificate programs. Founded in 1972, the Academy has provided its sports programs to more than 60 countries around the...
awarded Foley its Carl Maddox Sport Management Award in recognition of his contributions to the growth and development of sport enterprise through effective management practices.
See also
- History of the University of FloridaHistory of the University of FloridaThe history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida, colloquially known as "Florida" or "UF," originated as several distinct institutions that were merged to create a single state-supported university by the...
- List of Hobart College alumni
- List of Kappa Sigma members
- List of University of Florida people
- University Athletic AssociationUniversity of Florida Athletic AssociationThe University Athletic Association, Inc. is a non-profit corporation that is responsible for maintaining the Florida Gators intercollegiate sports program of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida...
External links
- GatorSports.com – Gators sports news from The Gainesville Sun.
- GatorZone.com – Official website of the Florida Gators.
- SECSports.com – Official website of the Southeastern Conference.
- University Athletic Association – Official website of the University Athletic Association, Inc.
- University of Florida – Official website of the University of Florida.