National Football Foundation

Duke University Vice President and Director of Athletics Dr. Kevin White has been named the 2014 recipient of the NFF John L. Toner Award. Presented annually by the NFF, the Toner Award recognizes an athletic director who has demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football. 

“Under Kevin’s guidance, Duke has continued to excel both on and off the field,” said NFF President and CEO Steve Hatchell. “Since White took over in 2008, the Blue Devils football program has achieved national prominence and the athletics department has seen substantial growth overall. His accomplishments place him at the forefront of his profession and make him truly worthy of this prestigious honor.” 

Hired by Duke President Richard Brodhead in 2008, White made an immediate impact on Duke Athletics, leading the department to excellence in competition and reshaping the organization into a more efficient and modern department. His consistent outreach efforts have strengthened ties with key constituencies on both the campus and in the community, and his marketing acumen has successfully led Duke’s fundraising and corporate sponsorship efforts that have significantly enhanced the department’s revenue streams during an economic downturn. 

Coach David Cutcliffe and the Blue Devils football program have seen unprecedented success during White’s tenure in Durham. In 2013, Duke won 10 games for the first time in school history as the Blue Devils reached the ACC Championship Game against the eventual national champion Florida State. In 2012, Duke went to its first bowl game since 1994, officially beginning the school’s football renaissance. Two Blue Devils have been recognized as NFF National Scholar-Athletes under White’s leadership, including quarterback Sean Renfree in 2012 and offensive lineman Perry Simmons in 2013. 

White spearheaded the launch of a $250 million athletics initiative in 2012, with $100 million earmarked for several athletic facilities, including plans to expand the seating and improve the facilities in and around Wallace Wade Stadium. He also oversaw the addition of Pascal Field House, an 80,000-square foot indoor training facility featuring a 120-yard football playing surface that opened in 2011. 

Since White’s arrival, Duke has captured six NCAA Championships and 15 ACC titles, while 75 Blue Devil teams advanced to NCAA postseason competition. Individually, 165 student-athletes have earned All-American status, 278 All-ACC and 171 All-Region or District honors the past five years. 

Academically, Duke teams have continued to excel under White’s watch. In 2014, eight of Duke's teams posted perfect scores of 1000 in the Academic Progress Report (APR) data released by the NCAA, and 14 of the Blue Devils' squads have been honored by the NCAA for placing among the top 10 percent in their respective sports nationally, including the Blue Devil football program, which ranked first among all FBS schools and second among all Division I programs. 

White joined Duke after leading the University of Notre Dame’s athletics program from 2000-08, and he served as president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) in 2006-07. He has received multiple awards, including the Sports Business Awards Athletic Director of the Year in 2014, and he was one of four NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision recipients of the Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year Award presented by NACDA in 2013, having previously claimed the award in 2006 while at Notre Dame. White has also served as athletics director at Arizona State University, Tulane University, the University of Maine and Loras College in Iowa. 

White earned his Ph.D. from Southern Illinois University in 1983 with an emphasis on higher education administration. In 1985, he completed postdoctoral work at Harvard University’s Institute for Educational Management. He earned his master’s degree in athletics administration from Central Michigan University in 1976 and his bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1972 from St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., where he also competed as a sprinter. White and his wife, Jane, have five children and 10 grandchildren.