STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Jaquish & Kenninger Director of Athletics, Bernard Muir, will serve on the Bay Area Host Committee (BAHC) executive board in support of the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship.
The College Football Playoff National Championship game will be held at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019.
Muir is one of four members of the BAHC executive board with Stanford ties, along with Condoleezza Rice, John Lynch and Tyrone Willingham. The executive board, headed by BAHC Executive Director Patricia Ernstrom, includes Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott, California Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton, San Jose State Director of Athletics Marie Tuite, San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York, 49ers President Al Guido and 49ers legends Ronnie Lott, Steve Mariucci and Steve Young.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase the Bay Area and play a role in hosting the College Football Playoff National Championship," Muir said. "I am thrilled to serve with this esteemed group as we partner with the College Football Playoff committee to assist in hosting one of the most prestigious sporting events of the year."
In six years under Muir's leadership, Stanford has won 14 NCAA team championships and 21 overall. The 2017-18 campaign was especially memorable, as Stanford captured its 24th consecutive Learfield Sports Directors' Cup in addition to securing Capital One Cup titles for both men and women, becoming the first institution to sweep all three major awards.
After a runner-up finish to North Carolina in 1994, Stanford has claimed 24 straight Learfield Sports Directors' Cups, presented annually to the most successful intercollegiate athletic department in the nation. The Cardinal also finished first in the men's and women's standings of the Capital One Cup, which had previously never featured a dual champion in its eight-year existence recognizing cumulative top-10 finishes in both NCAA championships and final coaches' polls.
Meanwhile, Stanford extended one of the most recognizable streaks in college athletics, having now won at least one NCAA team championship for 42 consecutive years. The Cardinal won NCAA crowns in women's soccer, men's soccer, women's swimming and diving and women's tennis, along with women's lightweight rowing bringing the total to five national champions. Thanks to its four NCAA titles, Stanford increased its all-time total to 117, overtaking rival UCLA and concluding 2018 as the nation's all-time leader in team championships.
Stanford was equally prolific in the classroom, with 16 programs earning perfect 1,000 multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) scores, measuring data collected over a span of four academic years. Additionally, 17 varsity teams earned APR Public Recognition Awards from the NCAA. The third year of the Rubenstein-Bing Student-Athlete Civic Engagement (ACE) Program also yielded positive results, as 20 student-athletes joined their peers from Duke in a three-week, immersive summer service volunteer program with visits to South Africa, Vietnam, China and India. The Cardinal also was honored with 10 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, highlighted by Katie Ledecky's selection as the Academic All-American of the Year.
Muir, who has served as a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee since 2012, will chair the committee in 2018-19. He is also is a member of USA Basketball's 12-member Board of Directors for the 2017-20 quadrennial.
The BAHC and its Executive Board works with the College Football Playoff to promote, organize, and execute the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship and its related events throughout the Bay Area. The BAHC is committed to forming a seamless partnership with the College Football Playoff and all of its stakeholders to deliver an outstanding championship experience for the student-athletes, participating institutions, media and fans.
Members of the BAHC Executive Board will provide strategic planning and communications support to the Bay Area Host Committee, helping to convey the themes of educational opportunity, regional excitement, and economic growth to the general public and key stakeholders throughout the build-up to the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. In addition to being involved in College Football Playoff advertising campaigns and making appearances at various BAHC and College Football Playoff Foundation events, executive board members will assist in corporate and philanthropic fundraising efforts associated with the staging of the College Football Playoff events in San Jose and Santa Clara.