John Swofford


John Douglas Swofford is the commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Early life and education

Swofford was born on December 6, 1948 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. While at Wilkes Central High School, he played as quarterback for the Wilkes Central Eagles football team and was twice selected to the all-state football team. He was awarded a prestigious Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1967, where he was part of Bill Dooley's first football recruiting class. He was quarterback and defensive back on 1970-71 teams, and football letterman.
He earned a master's degree in Sports Management from Ohio University in 1973.

Career

Swofford began his first job as ticket manager and assistant director of athletic facilities at the University of Virginia in 1973, where he worked under future ACC Commissioner Gene Corrigan.
He returned to UNC in 1976. In 1980, he was promoted internally to the position of athletic director for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to replace Bill Cobey who had left for political ambitions. Dick Baddour succeeded him as the UNC AD in 1997.
On July 1, 1997, Swofford was named the 4th Commissioner of the ACC, succeeding Gene Corrigan.
During his tenure he has doubled the ACC's annual revenue, served as Chairman of the Bowl Championship Series in college football in 2000 and 2001, and expanded the ACC from nine teams to 15, adding Boston College, Virginia Tech, the University of Miami, the University of Pittsburgh, Syracuse University, the University of Notre Dame, and the University of Louisville by 2014.
He was instrumental in starting the ACC–Big Ten Challenge and the launch of the ACC Network. ACC programs won 92 national titles in 19 sports while he was commissioner.
In June 2020, Swofford announced via a press release that he will retire as the president of the ACC in June 2021.

Recognition

He has been elected to the North Carolina High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2001, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, and Wilkes County NC Hall of Fame in 2014.
Swofford received the Homer Rice award in 2005 and the Corbett Award in 2011.

Personal life

Swofford and his wife Nora live in Greensboro, North Carolina, and they have three children. Swofford is the brother of William Oliver Swofford, a pop singer professionally known as Oliver who performed from the late 1960s through the late 1970s.