NFF Legacy Award Recipients
Biography
The Honorable Tom McMillen served as the president and CEO of the LEAD1 Association from 2015 until stepping down in September 2024. McMillen, a former U.S. Congressman, college basketball All-American, Rhodes Scholar, and 11-year NBA
player, has also served on the NFF Board of Trustees since 2020.
Founded in 1986 as the Division 1A Athletic Director’s Association, the LEAD1 Association represents the 134 athletics directors and programs of the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), working to ensure the success of student athletes, both in the classroom and on the playing field.
McMillen broke new ground with the organization, renaming it and moving the headquarters to the Washington, D.C., area to be closer to the nation’s policymakers. His leadership has helped influence how the rules of college sports are enacted and implemented, and the organization has been a key advocate for the future of college athletics. During his tenure at LEAD1, McMillen served on the steering committee for the NFF’s Future For Football initiative, providing a platform for the program at the 2023 LEAD1 Spring Forum.
As a star basketball player at Maryland, McMillen earned All-America laurels. After graduating as valedictorian of his class at Maryland, McMillen was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and attended Oxford University, earning his masters. He then played 11 years in the NBA, finishing his career in 1986 as the first and only active professional athlete to run for Congress.
From 1987 to 1993, McMillen served in the United States House of Representatives, representing the Fourth District of Maryland.
