Florida's Jeremy Foley Retiring as Athletics Director

Jeremy Foley announced his retirement as Florida Athletics Director. Foley will continue as athletics director until October 1st, when a new athletics director will hopefully be identified.

Photo By: Tim Casey

Monday, June 13, 2016

Florida's Jeremy Foley Retiring as Athletics Director

UF Athletic Communications

He's recognized as one of the top athletics directors, leading one of the nation's top programs. Now after directing the Gator Athletics program for the last 25 seasons, Jeremy Foley is retiring.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – He's recognized as one of the top athletics directors, leading one of the nation's top programs. Now after directing the Gator Athletics program for the last 25 seasons, Jeremy Foley is retiring.

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Foley, 63, announced his plans to the Gator coaches and staff earlier this morning. Foley will continue as athletics director until October 1st, when a new athletics director will hopefully be identified.

He will stay involved with the University as Emeritus Athletics Director, which is part of his current contract agreement.

Jeremy Foley said:
"After a long period of thought and consideration, I have made a decision to retire as the Athletics Director effective October 1, 2016. As difficult as a decision it has been to make, I know the time is right.

"So many memories. Of championships won. Of teams setting goals and then achieving them. The passion shown by Florida fans across the state, nation and world. Those letters or emails from student-athletes after they receive their degrees, so appreciative of their Gator experience.

"Those are what I'll take with me because they are a part of me. This is a special place built by the effort, passion and drive of our coaches and student-athletes.

"What a privilege it has been to be a part of this athletic program. It's never been a job – the relentless energy from the student-athletes and coaches ensured that. I've worked with some of the best in the business and met some truly outstanding people. I've been part of some memorable Gator events and Championships. I came to work every day with a staff full of friends and we've shared every emotion along the way. I have been truly blessed with a career I have loved at a place I love.

"But now it is time for me to step aside. I firmly believe that after 25 years with one leader, new thoughts and new ideas will continue to move this program forward. Timing is as good as it can be because currently we have a tremendous group of coaches and professional staff. As good as there is in the country. New leadership will inherit an incredibly talented group of people. Our budget is in good shape. All of our programs are achieving at the highest level. We are being successful without sacrificing our integrity. We are a positive reflection on the institution.

"As hard as it is for me personally, as this organization and this career has been my life's work, it is time for me to personally move forward in a new direction. I firmly believe my time as Athletics Director is ending so that I can move into the next phase of my life. And I eagerly look forward to this next phase.

"But I'll still be watching – and cheering – because I'll always be a Gator."

UF President Dr. Kent Fuchs Says
"Jeremy's amazing accomplishments as Athletics Director are well known, and the university is very grateful to him for the national championships, a winning sports program that is highly ranked year after year, and the growth of women's sports. Jeremy also has a well-deserved reputation for recruiting the nation's most talented coaches and building an athletic association that is recognized as among the very best in the country.

"What I especially appreciate about Jeremy, however, is his integrity and his commitment to our students. Success to Jeremy is a student athlete who graduates and wins championships in the right way. That is the culture he created here over his 25-year career and it is what we will remember about his remarkable tenure as Athletics Director."

Foley as Florida's Athletics Director
Foley's vision always focused on building the Gator athletics program into a national power across an array of sports, while also providing the support needed for the student-athletes to earn their degrees.

When he became Florida's athletics director on March 9, 1992, five sports had given the Gators their nine national crowns. Now, Florida has 36 national team titles by 13 different sports. This includes Florida's claim of the 2006 basketball and football titles – still the only program ever to win both crowns in a single year. The 27 national titles shares the top total among sitting Division I athletics directors and he is the only athletics director in DI I history to supervise a program that has won multiple national titles in football (1996, 2006, 2008) and men's basketball (2006, 2007). Florida has won a national championship in each of the last seven years and captured 14 national team titles since 2009-10 season, equaling the highest total in the nation.

Now in his 25th year as Florida's Athletics Director, Foley is the second-longest tenured athletics director in an Autonomy Conference.

Notables

Florida has ranked in top five nationally in all-sports rankings in 17 years of his 24 years at the helm of the program and in the top 10 every year. Five times since 1997-98, Florida has turned in its all-time high finish of second, including four of the last six rankings. It is expected Florida will again finish among the nation's top 10 when the Learfield Directors' Cup standings are released later this month. Gator teams have recorded 271 top 10 national finishes under Foley.
More than half of the program's 229 SEC titles have come under Foley, as Gator teams have claimed 130 league titles. The overall SEC All-Sports Trophy has gone to Florida 24 of Foley's 25 years. The Gators collected the 2015-16 men's, women's and overall SEC All-Sports Trophies, marking the 15^th sweep for the Gators as Florida is the only league team to take all three in a single season.
Florida averaged a NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) of 85.2 percent since it started in 11 years ago – the second-highest in the league over that time frame. The Gator athletic program is the only league school to place 100 or more student-athletes on SEC Academic Honor Rolls each of the last 19 years. Under Foley, UF student-athletes have been honored as Academic All-Americans 105 times, the highest total among sitting athletics directors and fifth best in the nation since 1992.
Florida's attracted and supported a coaching staff that certainly stands among the nation's overall top personnel. Coach of the Year honors have been collected at the conference level 111 times and 28 times at the national level.
He also oversaw a budget that grew from $30 million in the 1991-92 academic year to $119.3 million for the upcoming season. Each year under Foley, Florida has posted a balanced budget, and is one of 24 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs to post positive net gains in 2014. The athletic department, which served 366 student-athletes in 1992, now has 479 for the 2015-16 academic year. Three women's sports were added under Foley – soccer, softball and lacrosse.
As chief financial officer for the University Athletic Association (UAA), Foley has spearheaded a number of capital improvement projects in the athletic department involving every athletic facility, including two expansion projects to the football stadium. Florida has invested $307 million in capital improvement projects since 1999 and currently has $90 million invested in current projects – a state-of-the art Academic Advising Building scheduled to open in late June of 2016 and a renovation of the Stephen C. O'Connell Center, which will be complete in December of 2016. Most recently a $17 million indoor football practice facility was completed in August of 2015. The UAA is currently waiting on the results of a major facility feasibility study that will address facility improvements in a number of sports with emphasis on football, baseball and softball.

Click here for Foley's complete bio

Florida Finishes in All-Sports Rankings Under Foley
National All-Sports Rankings		Southeastern Conference All-Sports
Year	Finish	Men	Women	Overall
2015-16	Announced end of June	1^st	1^st	1^st
2014-15	4^th	2^nd	2^nd	1^st
2013-14	2^nd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2012-13	2^nd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2011-12	2^nd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2010-11	4^th	1^st	1^st	1^st
2009-10	2^nd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2008-09	3^rd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2007-08	6^th	2^nd	1^st	1^st
2006-07	6^th	1^st	1^st	1^st
2005-06	5^th	2^nd	3^rd	2^nd
2004-05	6^th	1^st	3^rd	1^st
2003-04	6^th	1^st	2^nd	1^st
2002-03	7^th	1^st	1^st	1^st
2001-02	3^rd	1^st	1^st	1^st
2000-01	7^th	3^rd	1^st	1^st
1999-00	7^th	1^st	1^st	1^st
1998-99	4^th	1^st	2^nd	1^st
1997-98	T2^nd	1^st	1^st	1^st
1996-97	5^th	3^rd	1^st	1^st
1995-96	3^rd	1^st	1^st	1^st
1994-95	5^th	2^nd	1^st	1^st
1993-94	4^th	1^st	2^nd	1^st
1992-93	4^th	1^st	1^st	1^st
1991-92	5^th	1^st	1^st	1^st

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