CLEVELAND, Ohio – Northwestern Vice President for Athletics Tony Hoops has been selected as an Athletics Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
The award recognizes athletic directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their communities. Winners of the 2024-25 NACDA AD of the Year honor will be recognized at the NACDA & Affiliates Convention on Tuesday, June 10 in Orlando, Florida.
“I am incredibly humbled to receive this award,” said Hoops. “Northwestern College has been such a blessing to me and our family. I’m thankful for the opportunity and support President Christy gave me to lead an extremely talented group of coaches, staff members, and student-athletes. Their daily commitment to our mission of Honoring Christ Through Excellence in Athletics is why we can celebrate this award together.”
28 winners were selected from across all NCAA divisions, the NAIA, and junior colleges. Hoops was one of four NAIA athletic directors to be recognized.
“NACDA is proud to usher in a new class of Athletics Director of the Year Award winners for 2024-25 and recognize these servant leaders guiding their departments into a new age of intercollegiate athletics,” said Pat Manak, NACDA chief executive officer. “Each of the seven Divisions has at least one first-time honoree, including four brand new winners in the junior college ranks. These 28 individuals represent their institutions, conferences and the industry as a whole with a level of dedication and passion that shines through in their collective accomplishments.”
In his first two years at Northwestern, Hoops has overseen a successful slate of teams as the Raiders have won 12 GPAC regular season and tournament titles, earned 13 team NAIA Championships berths, and reached two NAIA national championship games. Last year, Hoops initiated many firsts for Northwestern, including the Student-Athlete Leadership Team (SALT), the inaugural N-Dubs awards show, and Northwestern’s first Raiders Giving Day. Northwestern Athletics experienced a 45% increase in athletic giving this past year under Hoops and is set to finish the Den Hartog Athletic Complex addition this summer.
Alongside his duties leading Northwestern’s athletic department, Hoops is a member of the Business of Small College Athletics (BOSCA) Advisory Board and is the GPAC’s representative on the NAIA Athletic Directors Association (ADA) board. As a member of the ADA board, he serves on several committees including brand advocacy and membership, ADA strategic plan, and the NAIA revenue generation committee. Hoops was also actively involved at the 2024 NAIA National Convention, presenting on three separate topics for NAIA members to learn from.
“I thank God for the leadership opportunities he has provided me throughout my career, particularly as an AD at Bethel and now Northwestern,” Hoops added. “I’ve been blessed with incredible mentors, colleagues across the country that have become close friends, and a loving family that has poured into me throughout my life that made this award possible.”
To be recognized as an Athletic Director of the Year, honorees were nominated by NACDA members, institutional presidents and conference commissioners, and other respected athletics administrators. Criteria for the award included a minimum of five academic years serving as an athletic director, commitment to student-athletes, continuous teamwork and excellence, and the ability to inspire their teams to high levels of accomplishments.
Now in its 60th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 24,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,300 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. NACDA manages 19 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts and/or has a presence at seven major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.
