After more than 40 years with the University Athletic Association and 25 years as the Florida Gators Athletic Director Jeremy Foley will retire, effective October 1.
“I want to do what’s right for Florida,” Foley said in a release. “That’s why I have spent a lot of time thinking it through. And I want to make sure everyone understands this is my decision. I’m not sick; I’m not dissatisfied; I’m not getting pushed. It happens to all of us. The time comes.”
Foley has guided Florida one of the most successful athletic programs in the country, overseeing 27 national championships, with the most recent coming last week when the men’s track team extended Florida’s streak of seven consecutive years with at least one title won in a calendar year. Foley is the only Athletic Director to oversee multiple National Championships in football (2006, 2008) and basketball (2005-06, 2006-07).
The news comes on the same day as the Florida Gators baseball team will play for a chance to punch its ticket to Omaha, and after reports that Foley was able to keep Kevin O’Sullivan to stay in Gainesville, despite an opening at the University of Texas. Foley’s last hire, Jim McElwain, is coming off of a 10-win inaugural season with the Orange and Blue and the athletic department is stable.
“You always want to leave an organization in good shape,” Foley said in the release. “Right now, we obviously have a great group of coaches, we have had a good year and we’ve got things moving in the right direction. I just think that makes it a good time to transition.”
Florida’s athletic program ranked in the top ten in the country every season under Foley and he brought a distinguished list of head coaches to Florida since he took over the role as AD in 1992.
“Jeremy’s amazing accomplishments as athletics director are well known, and the university is very grateful to him for the national championships, a winning sports program that is highly ranked year after year, and the growth of women’s sports,” University of Florida President Ken Fuchs said. “Jeremy also has a well-deserved reputation for recruiting the nation’s most talented coaches and building an athletic association that is recognized as among the very best in the country.”
In addition to the 27 National Championships in 25 years, Florida has won 130 SEC championships under Foley’s watch.