Stanford Hires Former Nike CEO As Next Athletic Director

The reported outside-the-box hire comes in a time of transition for the Cardinal.

John Donahoe (right) is reportedly Stanford's next athletic director. / David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

In a time of transition for Stanford athletics at the micro and macro level, the Cardinal are reportedly thinking outside the box.

Stanford is naming former Nike CEO John Donahoe its next athletic director, according to a Thursday evening report from Pete Thamel and Seth Wickersham of ESPN.

Donahoe, 65, is an extremely wealthy businessman believed to be worth upward of $400 million. He served as Nike's CEO from 2020 to '24, and has worked for Bain & Company, eBay and several other major firms.

The Dartmouth and Stanford graduate takes the reins of a Cardinal athletic department that moved to the ACC last year, ending a century-long association with the Pac-12 and its predecessors. The football team struggled with the move, posting its fourth consecutive 3-9 season. The Cardinal men's basketball program modestly improved, while their women's basketball squad declined after the retirement of legendary coach Tara VanDerveer.

Amid that backdrop, Stanford endured a tumultuous offseason. Athletic director Bernard Muir stepped down, while general manager Andrew Luck sacked football coach Troy Taylor amid allegations the latter bullied employees.

Led by interim coach Frank Reich, the Cardinal will open their football season on Aug. 23 against Hawai'i.

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