UO release - Oregon Athletics Director to be honored for excellence in athletics administration during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9. Story LinksIRVING, Texas (August 5, 2025) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced that Rob Mullens, the Director of Athletics at the University of Oregon, will be the recipient of the 2025 NFF John L. Toner Award. He will officially be honored Dec. 9 during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino. "Rob Mullens has established himself as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking leaders in college athletics," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "He has guided Oregon through a remarkable era of on-field success while maintaining a steadfast commitment to academic excellence and the well-being of the Duck student-athletes. Under his leadership, Oregon Football consistently competed at the highest levels, earning multiple New Year's Six appearances, reaching two national championship games, and producing Campbell Trophy ® winners in Bo Nix and Justin Herbert. His bold leadership in guiding Oregon's move to the Big Ten underscores a career that truly reflects the spirit of the John L. Toner Award." 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, 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, who served as an NCAA President from 1983-85, joined the NFF Board in 1988 and served as the vice chairman from 2000-2008. Ranking among his top achievements, Mullens landed Oregon an invitation to join the Big Ten Conference in 2023, completing the transition in August 2024. The move solidified the Ducks' place among the top college athletics programs in the country, and they rose to the occasion winning eight conference championships, the most in the Big Ten in 2024-25 and a school record for conference titles in any academic year. The Ducks' football program finished the regular season undefeated at 13-0, also winning the Big Ten Championship and earning the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff. Since landing the top spot in Eugene 15 years ago, Mullens has overseen Duck football programs that have won six conference championships, the Pac-10 in 2010, the Pac-12 in 2011, 2014, 2019, and 2020, and the Big Ten Championship in 2024. He has worked with four different football coaches during his tenure that have won conference championships and appeared in New Year's Six Bowls: Chip Kelly, Mark Helfrich, Mario Cristobal, and Dan Lanning (Mullens hired all but Kelly), with the postseason appearances including seven New Year's Six Bowls, two College Football Playoff berths, and two Championship Games (2010 BCS, 2014 CFP). In 2021, Mullens hired Lanning, who was the Georgia Defensive Coordinator at the time, for his first head coaching job, and Lanning has guided the Ducks to a remarkable 35-6 record (.854 winning percentage) during his three seasons, ranking third nationally during the period. Overall, the Ducks have had a cumulative winning percentage of .769 during Mullens' tenure, the fifth-highest in the nation while averaging 39.91 points per game, which tops the country. Oregon has won 12 games seven times since Mullens became the athletics director in 2010, representing every 12-win season in school history, while winning at least 10 games in 10 of his 15 seasons in Oregon. The Ducks have posted 11 Top 25 finishes during his tenure, including six finishes in the Top 5. During his tenure, three Ducks have landed a spot in the NFF College Football Hall of Fame: Coach Mike Bellotti (2014), LaMichael James (2023) and 2025 electee Haloti Ngata, and Oregon has produced three NFF National Scholar-Athletes: Justin Herbert (2019), Bo Nix (2023), and Dillon Gabriel (2024) with Herbert and Nix both winning the William V. Campbell Trophy® as the nation's best all-around scholar-athlete. Oregon football players have also won the following major awards since 2010: Heisman, Maxwell, Rimington, Unitas, Walter Camp, Doak Walker, Outland, Lombardi, Manning, Davey O'Brien, and Burlsworth. Mullens' knowledge and reputation earned him a spot the College Football Playoff Selection Committee from 2016-19, including serving two years as the CFP Chairman from 2018-19. He serves on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee's Collegiate Advisory Council, and he was also appointed to the Congressional Commission on the State of U.S. Olympics and Paralympics in 2020. Mullens' leadership has produced a total of 18 NCAA championships during his tenure, more than half of Oregon's NCAA titles in school history. This includes seven in women's indoor track and field, four in men's indoor track and field, two each in men's and women's outdoor track and field, one in men's golf, and two in women's cross country. The Ducks have also won four NCATA national titles in acrobatics and tumbling during Mullens' time in Eugene. Oregon student-athletes have also earned Academic All-America honors on 62 occasions during his tenure, including a school-record 11 in the 2024-25 academic year. Oregon has also opened the renovated Hayward Field, the world's finest track and field stadium, in addition to a new softball stadium (Jane Sanders Stadium), a new venue for lacrosse and soccer (Pape Field), Matthew Knight Arena, the Jacobsen Oregon Golf Teaching Facility, the Hatfield-Dowlin Complex (football operations building and facility), with both a new indoor football practice facility and a new beach volleyball facility currently under construction. Oregon Athletics posted its highest finishes in the Learfield Director's Cup in school history during Mullens' tenure, a 9th-place finish in 2016-17 and a 10th-place finish in 2016. The Ducks finished in 18th place for the 2024-25 academic year, their highest finish in eight years. Oregon Athletics was also honored with the NCAA Minority Opportunities Athletic Association's 2020 Award for Diversity and Inclusion. Mullens, who earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and a master's in sport management from West Virginia University, held senior administrator jobs at Maryland and Kentucky before landing the top job at Oregon in 2010. Mullens will be honored during the 67th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 9 at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino alongside recipients of the other NFF Major Awards. In addition to the presentation of the NFF Major Awards, the event will provide the stage for the induction of the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame Class; the presentation of the 2025 NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments; and the bestowing of the 36th William V. Campbell Trophy® to the nation's top football scholar-athlete.