Stanford’s new athletic director has taken quite a unique path to his job. The school announced the hiring of former Nike CEO John Donahoe as its next athletic director Thursday.
Donahoe joins Stanford after spending nearly six years at Nike. He was hired by the company in 2019 and remained with Nike until September 2024. Donahoe was succeeded by Elliott Hill, though remained in an advisory role with Nike until January 2025.
While Donahoe’s job history makes him an unusual hire for Stanford, that’s exactly what the school was seeking, per ESPN.
“Stanford officials viewed [Donahoe] as a ‘unicorn candidate’ because of both his business ties and history at the school. Stanford coveted a nontraditional candidate for the role.”
Donahoe has a history with Stanford, as he received his master’s degree from the university in 1986 and served on the business school’s advisory board. He also has experience with another university. Donahoe served on Dartmouth’s board of trustees from 2003-12. He received his bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth.
After getting his master’s degree from Stanford, Donahoe put together an impressive resume in the business world. In addition to working at Nike, he also spent time at Bain and Company, eBay and ServiceNow.
In the role, Donahoe will oversee the entire athletic department at Stanford, meaning he’ll be Andrew Luck’s boss. Luck was hired to be the football team’s general manager last November.
Luck had nothing but good things to say about Donahoe in a statement released by the university Thursday.
“I am absolutely thrilled John Donahoe is joining as our next athletic director. 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.”
Donahoe’s hiring comes months after longtime athletic director Bernard Muir announced he would step down at the end of the school year. Muir served as Stanford’s athletic director from 2012-25.
