ACC commissioner John Swofford to retire in June 2021
Jordan Phelps | Staff Photographer
While ACC commissioner, John Swofford has helped expand the conference's number of schools from nine to 15 — including Syracuse's addition in 2013.
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Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford will retire following the 2020-21 athletic year, the conference announced Thursday morning. During his tenure, Swofford increased the number of ACC schools from nine to 15 through two expansions, including one that involved Syracuse seven years ago.
Currently finishing his 23rd year in the role, Swofford is the fourth commissioner in ACC history. He took on the position after serving as North Carolina’s athletic director for 17 years. The ACC’s statement did not name Swofford’s successor.
“It has been a privilege to be a part of the ACC for over five decades,” Swofford said in the conference’s press release. “There are immediate challenges that face not only college athletics, but our entire country, and I will continue to do my very best to help guide the conference in these unprecedented times through the remainder of my tenure.”
As commissioner, Swofford was instrumental in the College Football Playoff expansion and the ACC/Big 10 Challenge for both men’s and women’s basketball, according to the release. He also helped establish the ACC Championship Game and Orange Bowl partnership for football.
Syracuse officially joined the ACC alongside Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Louisville in 2013 as a second wave of additions. The first wave, which expanded the number of ACC schools from nine to 12 in 2004, included Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech.
The conference last August also launched ACC Network, a vision Swofford proposed in July 2016 that gave the league a revenue generator and an avenue to highlight non-revenue sports.
The ACC’s Council of Presidents announced Monday that it will revise its constitution and bylaws to improve governance. Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud will serve as chair of the ACC’s Board of Directors, which the 15 league presidents and chancellors will fill. Swofford, serving as the conference’s chief executive officer, will be part of the new alignment for one year before retiring.
“John Swofford, in his historic tenure, has come to embody the very best of the ACC,” Syverud said in the release.
Published on June 25, 2020 at 1:25 pm
Contact Andrew: arcrane@syr.edu | @CraneAndrew
