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Homer Rice Award

The Homer Rice Award is presented annually to an athletics director with a distinguished career, who has made a significant impact on this profession and intercollegiate athletics. This award is presented in honor of Homer Rice, the Founder and first President of the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association.

  1. The nominee must have served as a Director of Athletics for at least ten years at Division 1A Institutions;
  2. He/She must have made significant and meaningful contributions to intercollegiate athletics;
  3. He/She must have been retired from a Division 1A Athletic Directors position for at least one year;
  4. The nomination must be from a current member of the Division 1A Athletic Directors Association as a result of a thorough and extensive process.

Congratulations to Mr. John Toner, recipient of the 2010 Homer Rice Award

John Toner

John L. Toner was born in 1923 in Nantucket, Massachusetts and is a former college football head coach and athletic director at the University of Connecticut (UConn).

Toner became UConn's 21st head football coach in 1966. In five seasons under Toner the Huskies compiled a 20–24–3 record. Toner became UConn's athletic director in 1969 and resigned as football coach at the end of the 1970 season. Toner was responsible for several momentous decisions in his time as athletic director at UConn, including UConn becoming a founding member of the Big East Conference in 1979.

Toner was also responsible for hiring of UConn's future Hall of Fame coaches Geno Auriemma and Jim Calhoun During his 18–year tenure as athletic director Toner also served in several roles with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), where he served as president from 1983-85. During his tenure, he was involved in implementing Title IX in collegiate athletics, splitting college football into Divisions I-A and I-AA, and passing new freshman eligibility rules. He also was involved in Herschel Walker's leaving college early to join the United States Football League.

He retired in 1987 except to oversee the funding and construction of Gampel Pavilion. On February 28, 2009, Toner was inducted as the 29th member of the UConn Huskies of Honor.

Past Recipients of the Homer Rice Award

2010
John Toner
University of Connecticut
2009
Andy Geiger
The Ohio State University
2008
C.M. Newton
University of Kentucky
2007
Vince Dooley
University of Georgia
2005
John Swofford
UNC Chapel Hill
2004
Tom Butters
Duke University
2003
Jack Lengyel
US Naval Academy
2002
Dr. Gene Hooks
Wake Forest University
2001
Frank Windegger
Texas Christian University
2000
Jim Jones
Ohio State University