Ex-Nike CEO Named AD at Stanford University
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, STANFORD, CALIFORNIA, AUG 1 – John Donahoe brings extensive CEO experience and Stanford connections to revitalize programs amid football struggles and Olympic success with 39 medals in 2024, officials said.
- Stanford has appointed John Donahoe, who led Nike as CEO from 2020 to 2024, to serve as its new athletic director, with his tenure starting on September 8, 2025.
- The hire follows Bernard Muir's stepping down this year and comes amid Stanford's recent move from the Pac-12 to the ACC and struggles in key sports.
- Donahoe, a 1986 Stanford MBA graduate with executive experience at Bain, eBay, and Nike, replaces Muir after a tenure marked by football and basketball challenges.
- Stanford’s football team has posted four straight 3-9 seasons, and the men's basketball program last made the NCAA Tournament in 2014, while the school holds 137 NCAA titles.
- Donahoe aims to leverage his business acumen to support Andrew Luck’s leadership, rebuild struggling programs, and sustain Stanford’s scholar-athlete model amid college sports changes.
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Palo Alto Online
Redwood City PulseStanford hires former Nike CEO as its new athletic director
Stanford University announced this week the hiring of John Donahoe as its new athletic director. Photo courtesy David Bernal. Stanford University has hired a new athletic director, tapping school alum and former Nike CEO John Donahoe for the high-profile role, the university announced on Thursday, Aug. 1. In his new role, which he will begin […] The post Stanford hires former Nike CEO as its new athletic director appeared first on Palo Alto Onli…
Stanford Turns to Ex-Nike CEO John Donahoe for Athletic Director Role
Stanford University has announced a major leadership change by appointing John Donahoe, the chief executive officer of Nike, as its new Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics. Donahoe, who is also a Stanford alumnus, will officially assume the position on 08 September 2025, taking over from Bernard Muir, who is stepping down after an impressive 13-year tenure. University president Jonathan Levin emphasised the need for a 'distinctive leader' …
Stanford hires former Nike CEO as athletic director – Palo Alto Daily Post
Former Nike CEO John Donahoe has been hired as athletic director at Stanford. Donahoe will become the school’s eighth athletic director and replace Bernard Muir, who stepped down this year. He will officially begin in the role Sept. 8. “Stanford occupies a unique place in the national athletics landscape,” school president Jon Levin said in a statement. “We needed a distinctive leader — someone with the vision, judgment, and strategic acumen for…
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