Tom Holmoe , who has served as director of athletics at BYU since March 2005, will soon be recognized for his service to college athletics.
The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that Holmoe will receive the 2023 NFFL John L. Toner Award, which is given annually to an athletic director who has demonstrated "superior administrative abilities" and shown dedication to college sports, particularly football.
"For nearly 20 years, Tom Holmoe has led BYU athletics with a singular passion for helping student-athletes pursue their dreams in one of the top educational environments in the country," said Steve Hatchell, president and CEO of the National Football Foundation, in a press release . "As a former safety at BYU and then a head coach at Cal, he knows firsthand the keys to success at the college level, and his thoughtful and methodical approach has allowed him to become one of the most influential athletics administrators in the country."
In his own statement, Holmoe called football "the greatest sport on earth" and thanked his past teammates and coaches for teaching him the game.
"I'm humbled and honored to be recognized for what I've given to the sport of football when I feel so blessed for what football has given me," Holmoe said. "For the last 53 years I have always been part of a football team, whether as a player, coach or AD."
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Holmoe first came to BYU in 1978 as a student and football player. He spent four years with the team and played well enough to make it to the NFL.
After playing football professionally for seven years, Holmoe returned to BYU to work with coach LaVell Edwards . He then worked his way up the coaching ranks at various programs and eventually became the head football coach at Cal.
In July 2001, he transitioned from coaching to athletic directing and became BYU's associate athletics director for development. He was appointed athletic director at BYU on March 1, 2005, and is now the "third longest-serving FBS athletics director in the country," according to Wednesday's press release.
Holmoe will be honored during an awards ceremony Dec. 5 in Las Vegas.
Past John L. Toner Award winners include:
Mitch Barnhart, Oregon State University and the University of Kentucky.
Jack Swarbick, University of Notre Dame.
Deborah Yow, Saint Louis University, University of Maryland and North Carolina State University.
Thomas Beckett, Yale University.
Bob Scalise , Harvard University.
