Jeremy N. Foley (born December 1, 1952) is an American university sports administrator and former college athlete. Foley was an award-winning
athletic director
An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches and ...
for the
Florida Gators
The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...
Division I sports program of the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
located in
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, Florida, Gaine ...
from 1992 to 2016, when he semi-retired and became an
emeritus
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
athletic director focusing on fundraising for the school.
[Gatorzone.com]
Jeremy N. Foley
Retrieved August 30, 2009. He also served as the
chief financial officer
The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
of the
University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, Mis ...
(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.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in 1952, and raised in New London, New Hampshire
New London is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,400 at the 2020 census. The town is the home of Colby–Sawyer College.
The town center, where 1,266 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as t ...
.[ He graduated from the ]Holderness School
, established = 1879
, type = Private high school
, locale =
, religion = Episcopal
, image =
, grades =9-12, PG
, head_name = Headmaster
, head = R. Phillip Peck
, city = Holderness
, state = New Hampshire
, country = USA
, students ...
in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
in 1970.[ He attended Hobart College in ]Geneva, New York
Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...
, where he played football and lacrosse, and was a member of Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...
fraternity (Delta Phi
Delta Phi () is a fraternity founded in 1827 at Union College in Schenectady, New York consisting of ten active chapters along the East Coast of the United States. The fraternity also uses the names "St. Elmo," "St. Elmo Hall," or merely "Elmo" ...
chapter); he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in psychology in 1974.[ In 1976, he completed a ]master's degree
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. in sports administration from Ohio University
Ohio University is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
in Athens, Ohio
Athens is a city and the county seat of Athens County, Ohio. The population was 23,849 at the 2020 census. Located along the Hocking River within Appalachian Ohio about southeast of Columbus, Athens is best known as the home of Ohio Universit ...
.[ He is the older brother of Navy Cross recipient and Gulf War hero Lt. Col. James Lucian Foley USMC(Ret.)of Derry, NH.
]
Early career
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 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 ]Bill Arnsparger
William Stephen Arnsparger (December 16, 1926 – July 17, 2015) was an American college and professional football coach. He was born and raised in Paris, Kentucky, served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, and graduated from Mi ...
in 1987, Arnsparger had no experience as an athletic director. 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.
Later career
Foley served as UF's athletic director from 1992 until 2016, and was responsible for the hiring of several of Florida's most notable coaches, including Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is a college football TV commentator and former American football coach. He spent most of his coaching career at the collegiate level, having served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons fro ...
as the head football coach in 2004 and Billy Donovan
William John Donovan Jr. (born May 30, 1965) is an American professional basketball coach and former player. He has served as head coach of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since September 2020 after previously coa ...
as the men's basketball coach in 1996. The sports program finished as the top-ranked overall program in the Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...
(SEC) during 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."[Associated Press,]
Florida's Foley agrees to country's largest AD contract
" ESPN (June 22, 2007). Retrieved August 30, 2009. University of Florida President Bernie Machen
James Bernard Machen (; born March 26, 1944) is an American university professor and administrator. Machen is a native of Mississippi, and earned several academic degrees before becoming a university administrator and president. Machen had been t ...
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 was generally considered 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
The Florida Gators women's soccer team represents the University of Florida in the sport of college soccer. The Gators compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They a ...
program that won the 1998 national title) and, more recently, Tim Walton (whose Gators softball team won the program's first-ever national championship in 2014 and successfully defended its title in 2015).
Foley has also maintained successful and long-term relationships with coaches who were hired before he became athletic director, most notably men's golf coach Buddy Alexander
Stewart Murray Alexander (born February 20, 1953), nicknamed Buddy Alexander, is an American former college golf coach and amateur golfer. Alexander is the former head coach of the Florida Gators men's golf team. He is best known for coaching th ...
and volleyball coach Mary Wise
Mary Wise (born August 8, 1959), née Mary Fischl, 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. In Wise's career at F ...
.
Though he demonstrates a fierce loyalty to coaches who bring success to Florida, Foley also proved willing to remove unsuccessful coaches when he became convinced a change was necessary. Carolyn Peck
Carolyn Arlene Peck (born January 22, 1966) is an American television sportscaster and former college basketball coach. She was the head coach for the women's basketball teams of Purdue University and the University of Florida, and also the first ...
, who led Purdue University
Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...
to a women's basketball NCAA championship, was removed after her fifth season in Gainesville, and two-time College World Series coach Andy Lopez
Andrew Lopez (born November 30, 1953) is a retired American college baseball coach. He was most recently the head baseball coach at University of Arizona, and has served as the head baseball coach at Cal State Dominguez Hills, Pepperdine, and ...
was fired after six seasons.
While Foley's firing of football coach Ron Zook
Ronald Andrew Zook (; born April 28, 1954) is an American football coach and former player who currently serves as the Defensive Coordinator of the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He was the head football coach at the University of Florida from ...
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.
Foley personally attended many athletic competitions for all sports on campus and often traveled with Florida's various sports 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 the University of Florida's athletic director was to act as chief financial officer
The chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization that is assigned the primary responsibility for managing the company's finances, including financial planning, management of financial risks, record-keeping, and financ ...
(CFO) for the University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, Mis ...
. In that capacity he oversaw over $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.[Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Alumni Biographies]
Jeremy Foley '74
. Retrieved August 30, 2009. Jeremy Foley managed an annual budget of more than $89 million,[ but was 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 who has competed in the Boston Marathon
The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by several cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was i ...
.[
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 is a Public university, public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confeder ...
.[
The UF Alumni Association Board of Directors named Foley an ''Honorary Alumnus'' in October 2000.][
From 1997 to 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 or Street & Smith Publications, Inc. was a New York City publisher specializing in inexpensive paperbacks and magazines referred to as dime novels and pulp fiction. They also published comic books and sporting yearbooks. Among t ...
named Foley as its ''SportsBusiness Journal'' National Athletics Director of the Year.[SECSports.com,]
Street and Smith's Names UF's Foley National A.D. of the Year
," press release (June 19, 2006). Retrieved August 30, 2009.
The National Football Foundation
The National Football Foundation (NFF) is a non-profit organization to promote and develop amateur American football on all levels throughout the United States and "developing the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the dr ...
awarded Foley the John L. Toner Award in 2007, recognizing him as its national athletic director of the year.[National Football Foundation,]
NFF Announces 2007 Major Awards Recipients
press release (May 16, 2007). Retrieved August 30, 2009. In 2007, the National Football Foundation presented Foley with its annual John L. Toner Award, recognizing him as "a director of athletics who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football."
Foley's alma mater, the Holderness School
, established = 1879
, type = Private high school
, locale =
, religion = Episcopal
, image =
, grades =9-12, PG
, head_name = Headmaster
, head = R. Phillip Peck
, city = Holderness
, state = New Hampshire
, country = USA
, students ...
, a small, private, college preparatory school near Plymouth, New Hampshire
Plymouth is a rural New England town, town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States, in the White Mountains Region. It has a unique role as the economic, medical, commercial, and cultural center for the predom ...
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
The United States Sports Academy is a private university focused on sports and 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 ...
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.[ People]
" ''Sports Business Journal'', p. 36 (December 21, 2009). Retrieved October 7, 2010.
See also
* History of the University of Florida
The history of the University of Florida is firmly tied to the history of public education in the state of Florida. The University of Florida originated as several distinct institutions that were consolidated to create a single state-supported un ...
* List of Hobart College alumni
* List of Kappa Sigma members
This is a list of notable members of Kappa Sigma (partially referenced in).
Government and politics
Current officeholders
*John Boozman (Xi), Senator, Arkansas (2010–); former U.S. Representative, Arkansas (2001–2010)
* Richard Burr (Delta ...
* University Athletic Association
The University Athletic Association (UAA) is an American athletic conference that competes in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Division III. Member schools are highly selective universities located in Georgia, Illinois, Mis ...
References
External links
Florida profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Jeremy
1952 births
Living people
Florida Gators athletic directors
Hobart Statesmen football players
Hobart Statesmen lacrosse players
People from New London, New Hampshire
American chief financial officers
Holderness School alumni
Players of American football from Washington, D.C.