From The Desk of John Donahoe

To the Stanford Community,

As I reflect on my first year as Athletic Director, I feel an immense sense of gratitude and appreciation. I am grateful to our student-athletes, coaches, and DAPER staff for their dedication, and to our University partners, fans, alumni, and donors for their unwavering support. I have repeatedly described this past year as one of the most fulfilling years of my professional career.

Our achievements last year were memorable. We extended our NCAA team championship streak to a 50th straight year, far outpacing the next longest active streak of six, while winning five national championships and finishing as the Learfield Directors' Cup runner-up. Academically, our student-athletes posted a 97 percent graduation success rate with a 3.65 average GPA. It was also a record-breaking fundraising year, highlighted by Bradford M. Freeman's $50 million gift to football, 20 new endowed scholarships, and major upgrades to Stanford Softball Stadium and the Arrillaga Tennis Center.

We have completed our Stanford Athletics strategic plan and it guides our priorities. I am thankful to everyone who shaped it through the listening tours, feedback, and working groups and we look forward to sharing it broadly. We have also welcomed several new Executive Team leaders: Michael Bringuel (Human Resources), Larissa Fontaine (Student-Athlete Success), Tyler Jones (COO), Shayne Skov (Strategy) and Jennifer Zimbroff (Chief Legal Officer). On a personal note, I am honored to begin my appointment to the USOPC's Collegiate Advisory Council, extending work already underway to ensure Stanford has a seat at the table on collegiate sports reform.

While the external collegiate landscape is dynamic, at Stanford we will always prioritize our student-athletes at the center of everything we do. We continue to invest in their success. We are also building a sustainable financial model that includes identifying new commercial capabilities and corporate partners. I encourage you to stay tuned in the coming weeks for some innovative and exciting opportunities in this space.

Entering our third year in the ACC, we have already claimed nine conference titles across six sports, second-best in the conference over that span. One month into the 2026-27 season, our momentum is strong: three fall programs are undefeated while five hold a top-10 national ranking.

Thank you for showing up for our student-athletes, coaches, and programs, whether attending home events, engaging on social media, or bringing others into the Stanford Athletics community. I can't wait to keep building momentum together in year two.

Sincerely,
John Donahoe
Jaquish & Kenninger Director and Chair of Athletics