Stanford Shocks Sports World by Naming Ex-Nike CEO John Donahoe as Athletic Director—What’s Next for the Program?

ESPN reported that Stanford had been looking for a “nontraditional candidate” for the role. Donahoe is a former basketball player at Dartmouth who later went on to earn an MBA from Stanford, but he has no prior experience working in college athletics.

Stanford just made a headline-grabbing move by appointing John Donahoe, the ex-CEO of Nike and PayPal board chairman, as their new athletic director. It’s not every day a powerhouse university pulls in a top-tier executive from the corporate world without a traditional college sports background—yet here we are. Donahoe, 65, whose resume boasts leadership stints at Nike, eBay, and ServiceNow, steps into a role that demands fresh vision amid a turbulent era of college athletics. The Cardinal’s challenges run deep—the Pac-12’s collapse, shifting conferences, and a football program gasping for the glory days. But with Stanford president Jon Levin and football GM Andrew Luck placing their trust in Donahoe’s strategic savvy, this could signal the dawn of an intriguing chapter. He’s got big shoes to fill, especially stepping into the shoes of Bernard Muir and addressing a program still reeling from the fallout surrounding former coach Troy Taylor. The coming season will be a telling test — and frankly, I’m eager to see how Donahoe’s outsider perspective shakes things up on the farm. LEARN MOREIts football program, which was a persistent conference and national title threat under Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw for much of the 2010s, has backslid considerably, with a 12-36 record since the start of the 2021 season. Its men’s basketball program has made the NCAA tournament just once since 2009, and its powerhouse women’s basketball program went 16-15 last season following the retirement of legendary coach Tara VanDerveer.Though many of its non-revenue sports continue to thrive, the Cardinal has largely struggled in that new environment.

Stanford has hired former Nike CEO and PayPal board chairman John Donahoe as its next athletic director, the university announced on Thursday, July 31.

Even some of its successful non-revenue sports have felt the effects of the changing landscape, most notably with the softball program losing star softball pitcher NiJaree Canady, the reigning national player of the year at the time, to a seven-figure NIL deal with Texas Tech.The school’s longtime conference home, the Pac-12, disintegrated following a wave of departures to the Big Ten and Big 12. Stanford, along with rival Cal, ended up in the ACC, where much of the league’s membership is thousands of miles away from the two Bay Area universities.

Donahoe, 65, worked at Nike from 2020-24 and had been on the company’s board of directors since 2014. Prior to that, he was the CEO at ServiceNow, a global software company, and eBay. He also worked for Bain & Company, a global management consulting company, for nearly 20 years, including a stint as its CEO.Donahoe will replace Bernard Muir, who stepped down earlier this year after 13 years in the position.

Donahoe’s tenure with Nike ended last year with his abrupt retirement, a move the New York Times reported came “amid merchandising struggles and a falling stock price.” Nike co-founder Phil Knight praised the Cardinal’s hire in a statement, saying that the school “couldn’t have picked a better person than John.”At least one major task awaiting Donahoe will be finding a new football coach after Troy Taylor was fired in March following an ESPN report that detailed investigations into alleged workplace misconduct (Taylor has since sued ESPN for defamation). Former Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers coach Frank Reich has been appointed as Stanford’s interim coach for the upcoming 2025 season.

Donahoe arrives at Stanford during a time of profound and widespread change in college athletics between NIL, the transfer portal and the upcoming revenue-sharing payments to athletes that come as a result of the House v. NCAA settlement.

“Stanford occupies a unique place in the national athletics landscape,” Stanford president Jon Levin said in a statement. “We needed a distinctive leader — someone with the vision, judgment, and strategic acumen for a new era of college athletics, and with a deep appreciation for Stanford’s model of scholar-athlete excellence. John embodies these characteristics. We’re grateful he has agreed to lead Stanford Athletics through this critical period in college sports.”With an athletic director now in place, Stanford football general manager and former NFL Pro Bowler Andrew Luck will report directly to Donahoe. Before the hire, Luck had been reporting to Levin.

“I am absolutely thrilled John Donahoe is joining as our next athletic director,” Luck said in a statement. “He brings unparalleled experience and elite leadership to our athletic department in a time of opportunity and change. I could not be more excited to partner with and learn from him.”