National Football Foundation

A North Wilkesboro, N.C., native, John Swofford was a two-time all-state quarterback and three-sport MVP at Wilkes Central High School from 1969-71. Swofford remained in his home state and went on to play at the University of North Carolina, leading the Tar Heels to the 1970 Peach Bowl and the 1971 Gator Bowl. Swofford was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 1970 and 1971.

His athletic administration experience began as a ticket manager and assistant to the director of athletic facilities and finance at the University of Virginia. In 1979, he took a job as the assistant athletics director and business manager at his alma mater. He was promoted to assistant executive vice-president of the educational foundation and athletics director the next year and held that position until 1997. That same year, he was named commissioner of the ACC, a role he remains in today. In his tenure as athletic director, North Carolina led the ACC in conference and national championships.

During his tenure as commissioner of the ACC, Swofford has directed the league from a nine to 15 member conference with a geographic area that boasts the highest population and the most households of any conference nationally. The past decade has seen the ACC expand and grow stronger with the addition of seven of the nation's most prestigious universities. He was instrumental in shaping the new postseason format for college football, announcing a 12-year agreement that annually features the ACC Champion in the Orange Bowl. Swofford’s leadership and negotiating skills helped the conference extend its exclusive, multi-platform agreement with ESPN. The agreement runs through 2026-27 and features a substantial increase in value and exposure. 

Swofford was inducted into the North Carolina High School Athletic Association’s Hall of Fame in 2002, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Hall of Fame in 2003 and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2009. In 2011, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics presented Swofford with the Corbett Award, the highest honor one can achieve in collegiate athletics administration.