IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that Tom Holmoe, the director of athletics at Brigham Young University, will be the recipient of the 2023 NFF John L. Toner Award. He will officially be honored Dec. 5 during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the ARIA Resort & Casino.
"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 NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "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. We are thrilled to honor him as the 2023 Toner Award recipient."
First presented in 1997, the John L. Toner Award recognizes athletics directors who have demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics and particularly college football. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient, the late John L. Toner who was a former athletics director and football coach at Connecticut. Toner, an NCAA President from 1983-85, joined the NFF Board in 1988 and served as the vice chairman from 2000-2008.
“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,” said Holmoe. “For the last 53 years I have always been part of a football team whether as a player, coach or AD. Leading up to each and every game my heart still beats faster in anticipation of The Game. I’m grateful to all my coaches and teammates who taught me the game of football from Pop Warner and high school to college and the NFL, and I thank the NFF for promoting the greatest sport on earth.”
Holmoe took over the BYU department on March 1, 2005, which makes him the third longest-serving FBS athletics director in the country. He oversees a nationally recognized program with 21 intercollegiate sports, involving more than 600 student-athletes and a 220-person staff. Since his appointment, BYU has captured 128 conference regular-season and postseason championships, and more than 300 student-athletes have earned All-America status. Throughout his 17-year tenure, BYU has had an average ranking of 36th in the annual NACDA Learfield Directors’ Cup, ranking all athletic programs in the country. For the 2020-21 athletic season, BYU finished No. 17 in the Directors' Cup standings. In the fall of 2022, for the first time ever, BYU finished No. 1 in the Directors' Cup standings for fall sports.
Under Holmoe, the football team has won an impressive 66.8 percent of their games, ranking in the final Top 25 seven times and appearing in 16 bowl games. Holmoe recruited Bronco Mendenhall to take over the program, leading the Cougars back into the national spotlight and amassing an overall record of 99-43. In 2016, Holmoe tapped Kalani Sitake, a former BYU fullback for College Football Hall of Fame Coach LaVell Edwards, to head the program. Sitake has crafted a 56-34 record heading into the 2023 season.
In 2011, Holmoe made the difficult decision to become a football independent, allowing the Cougars to play higher level opponents and gain more national exposure. The move culminated this season with BYU becoming a member of the Big 12 Conference. Two College Football Hall of Famers, Gordon Hudson (2009) and Ty Detmer (2012), and two NFF National Scholar-Athletes Matt Bauman (2009) and Taysom Hill (2016) have been honored by the NFF during his reign.
A native of La Crescenta, Calif., Holmoe first came to BYU on a football scholarship in 1978. He earned first-team All-WAC honors as a senior in 1982 and was selected in the fourth round of the 1983 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Over a seven-year NFL career, he played on three Super Bowl championship teams with the 49ers in 1984, 1988 and 1989.
After retiring from professional football, Holmoe returned to BYU to serve as a graduate assistant under Hall of Fame Coach LaVell Edwards from 1990-91 and later accepted an offer from Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh to become the Stanford secondary coach in 1992, where he remained for two seasons. In 1994, he returned to the 49ers as defensive backfield coach for two seasons, where he earned a fourth Super Bowl ring. Two years later Holmoe joined the University of California staff as defensive coordinator and later became the head coach from 1997-2001.
In July 2001, he returned to BYU as Associate Athletics Director for Development. As part of his responsibilities, he supervised the Cougar Club, served as the department’s liaison with the LDS Foundation, served on the BYU Alumni Association Board of Directors and worked on the capital campaign to raise funds for the university’s new athletic facilities.
Holmoe graduated from BYU with a degree in Zoology in 1983 and received a master's degree from BYU in Athletic Administration in 1995. He and his wife, Lori, have four children and 10 grandchildren.
Holmoe will be honored during the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5 alongside the yet-to-be announced recipients of the other NFF Major Awards. In addition to the presentation of the NFF Major Awards, the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas will provide the stage for the induction of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 34th William V. Campbell Trophy® to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.
The 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class includes Eric Berry (Tennessee), Michael Bishop (Kansas State), Reggie Bush (Southern California), Dwight Freeney (Syracuse), Robert Gallery (Iowa), LaMichael James (Oregon), Derrick Johnson (Texas), Bill Kollar (Montana State), Luke Kuechly (Boston College), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Terance Mathis (New Mexico), Bryant McKinnie (Miami [FL]), Corey Moore (Virginia Tech), Michael Stonebreaker (Notre Dame), Tim Tebow (Florida), Troy Vincent (Wisconsin), Brian Westbrook (Villanova), DeAngelo Williams (Memphis), and coaches Monte Cater (Lakeland [WI], Shepherd [WV]), Paul Johnson (Georgia Southern, Navy, Georgia Tech), Roy Kramer (Central Michigan) and Mark Richt (Georgia, Miami [FL]).
In October, the NFF will announce the members of the 2023 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments, who will vie as finalists for The William V. Campbell Trophy®. They will be honored at the NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 5, where one will be named the recipient of the Campbell Trophy® as the nation's top football scholar-athlete.
For more information on the 65th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas, including how to register for tickets, please visit Footballfoundation.org/feature/NFF2023.
Recipients of the NFF John L. Toner Award include:
2023 – Tom Holmoe (BYU)
2022 – Mitch Barnhart (Oregon State, Kentucky)
2020 – Jack Swarbrick (Notre Dame)
2019 – Deborah Yow (Saint Louis, Maryland, NC State)
2018 – Thomas Beckett (Yale)
2018 – Bob Scalise (Harvard)
2017 – Dan Guerrero (Cal State Dominguez Hills, California-Irvine, UCLA)
2016 – Chet Gladchuk (Tulane, Boston College, Houston, Navy)
2015 – Mark Hollis (Michigan State)
2014 – Kevin White (Loras [IA], Maine, Tulane, Arizona State, Notre Dame, Duke)
2013 – Joe Castiglione (Missouri, Oklahoma)
2012 – Mal Moore (Alabama)
2010 – Robert E. Mulcahy III (Rutgers)
2009 – Jim Weaver (UNLV, Western Michigan, Virginia Tech)
2008 – Gene Smith (Eastern Michigan, Iowa State, Arizona State, Ohio State)
2007 – Jeremy Foley (Florida)
2006 – DeLoss Dodds (Kansas State, Texas)
2005 – Jack Lengyel (Fresno State, Missouri, Navy)
2004 – Vince Dooley (Georgia)
2003 – John Clune (Air Force)
2003 – Andy Geiger (Brown, Penn, Stanford, Maryland, Ohio State)
2002 – Bill Byrne (Oregon, Nebraska, Texas A&M)
2001 – Milo R. "Mike" Lude (Kent State, Washington, Auburn)
2000 – Frank Broyles (Arkansas)
1999 – Jake Crouthamel (Syracuse)
1999 – David M. Nelson (Delaware)
1998 – Doug Dickey (Tennessee)
1997 – John L. Toner (Connecticut)
ABOUT The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship, and athletic achievement in young people. With 120 chapters in 47 states, NFF programs include the selection and induction of members of the College Football Hall of Fame; the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta; Future For Football; The William V. Campbell Trophy®; the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Class Presented by Fidelity Investments; the NFF National High School Academic Excellence Awards & Hatchell Cup presented by the Original Bob’s Steak & Chop House; and a series of initiatives to honor the legends of the past and inspire the leaders of the future. NFF corporate partners include Catapult, Delta Air Lines, Fidelity Investments, Hanold Associates Executive Search, Jostens, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the New York Athletic Club, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses, the Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation and the Sports Business Journal. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork and learn more at footballfoundation.org.