National Football Foundation

The National Football Foundation this year approved a new major award, The John L. Toner Director of Athletics Award and then chose to present the initial award to the man whose name it honors, John L. Toner, former Director of Athletics at the University of Connecticut and former President of the NCAA.

When he recently made the announcement of the new award, Robert E. Mulcahy III, Chairman of the NFF Awards Committee, said, "Presenting this first award to John Toner was easy. He represents that for which the award represents, a director of athletics who has made a significant contribution to football and an administrator who has contributed to the betterment of intercollegiate sports."

Jack Lengyel, a member of the NFF Board, was the man who first proposed the idea. Lengyel summarized his rationale for the recommendation by saying, "Within the structure of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame we honor the coaches, players and football officials. The last link was to honor a director of athletics who meets the criteria of outstanding contribution to football and has shown leadership for all of intercollegiate athletics."

As Connecticut's director of athletics, Toner was in the forefront of activity when in 1972 the United States Congress enacted Title IX, a law that required every college receiving Federal funding to pass three tests of equal opportunity. In 1975 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title IX applied to college athletics.

Toner was among the first athletic director to speak up for women's sports. Said Toner, ''At the time Title IX was enacted, it should be remembered that most colleges had sports for women, but it was treated as a club activity and not under the jurisdiction of the athletic departments. By reason of the new law, all that had to change. When the Supreme Court's ruling of 1975 was handed down, colleges were given a three-year period to implement the new programs." At the time, Toner served on the NCAA Council.

"The final upshot," said Toner, "was that eventually all of the women's sports teams were placed under the auspices of the NCAA. In many cases the new Federal law resulted in a doubling of the typical athletic department staff and its budget."

After serving on the NCAA Council, Toner was elected Secretary-Treasurer of the NCAA (1981-83) and then served as NCAA President (1983-85). Toner is also past President of the National Association of College Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference.

While Director of Athletics at the University of Connecticut he was the prime mover in getting the UConn basketball team to become an original member of the Big East Conference.

After high school, Toner enrolled at Boston University on a football scholarship, but before he had a chance to play he left school to serve a three and a half year hitch with the U.S. Army (1942-46). He served in the European Theatre during World War II. In 1946 he returned to Boston University. He played four seasons for the Terriers. He was starting quarterback in 1947 and 1948 and in 1949, when the great Harry Agganis arrived at BU, Toner switched to defense, playing safety and linebacker. Agganis would go on to become an All-America quarterback and is in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame.

After his BU football career, Toner stayed on as a graduate student and assistant coach to Buff Donelli. In the 1954 season Toner started a three-year stint as head football coach at New Britain (CT) high School. In 1955 and 1956 his New Britain teams went undefeated with only a 1956 tie to mar a perfect record.

In 1957 Donelli left Boston University to take the head coaching job at Columbia University (he replaced the great Lou Little) and Donelli immediately hired Toner as an assistant.

In 1966 Toner became the 21st head football coach in University of Connecticut history. He coached for five seasons, but into his third season he was named Director of Athletics. In his last three seasons as football coach, his Huskies tied for two Yankee Conference championships and he finished his career as a coach in 1970 by winning the Yankee Conference title outright.

When Toner relinquished his football coaching duties to spend all his time as Director of Athletics, his first task was to hire his football replacement. Toner hired Bob Casciola, who is today President of the National Football Foundation.

During his 21-year career at Connecticut, Toner received three major honors. He was named an Honorary University of Connecticut alumnus, he was presented the prestigious Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance and became only the sixth person to receive a National Citation from the National High School Coaches Association.

In 1986 Toner became the 17th person to receive the National Football Foundation's Distinguished American Award. He remains today very active on the National Football Foundation Board of Directors where he serves on the Board's Planning Committee and the MacArthur Bowl Committee.

Toner and his wife Claire have four sons, two daughters and eleven grandchildren. John and Claire reside in Savannah, GA.