Yow Named 2019 John L. Toner Award Recipient
6/10/2019 2:49:00 PM | Pack Athletics
IRVING, Texas – The National Football Foundation (NFF) announced that former NC State Director of Athletics Debbie Yow has been selected as the 2019 recipient of the NFF John L. Toner Award, becoming the first female recipient of the award that recognizes excellence in athletics administration.
The Toner Award is presented annually by the NFF to athletics directors who have demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics, particularly college football. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient John L. Toner, former athletics director and football coach at Connecticut and NCAA President.
Yow, who has served on the NFF Board of Directors since 2008, will be honored Dec. 10 at the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.
The announcement adds to Yow's list of recent recognitions as she was also named the 2019 James J. Corbett Memorial Award Recipient, earned induction into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame, and will be honored as a 2018-19 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year.
Yow became the first female athletics director in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and went on to oversee a program of 23 varsity sports at NC State from 2010-19. After inheriting an athletics department that had just one team finish ranked in the Top 25 in its respective sport the year prior to her arrival, a combined 40 teams finished ranked in the last four years, including 12 in 2017-18.
During her time in Raleigh, Yow made significant changes to the structure and branding of the athletics department. She oversaw a department at NC State that included approximately 185 full-time staff and 550 student-athletes.
Her team established Wolfpack Sports Properties in a new working agreement for multi-media rights with Learfield Communications; a department-wide apparel agreement with Adidas; and a Five-Year Strategic Plan. She also led in the creation of the comprehensive NC State Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class in 2012.
She hired 17 new head coaches, including current football coach Dave Doeren in 2013, who has led the Wolfpack to back-to-back nine-win seasons (2017-18), a top-25 ranking in 2017 and five straight bowl berths.
Since 2010, NC State has had 16 football players, including a school-record five in 2019, honored as members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
Yow oversaw the renovations to Reynolds Coliseum, a $35 million joint project with the university to create an incredible home environment for teams competing in the facility, while honoring the Wolfpack's athletic legacy with the NC State Athletics Walk of Fame & History. Facilities have been at the forefront of her tenure, and in 2015 NC State opened the $14 million Close-King Indoor Practice Facility.
A native of Gibsonville, North Carolina, Yow served as president of NACDA and the national Division I-A Athletic Directors Association. She has also served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Academic Enhancement Committee and represented the ACC on the NCAA Management Council.
Both Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal and the Chronicle of Higher Education have cited Yow as being one of the 20 most influential people in college athletics. She was selected to serve on the President's U.S. Department of Education Commission on Opportunities in Athletics to review the status of Federal Title IX regulations. She earlier served as the chair of the ACC Committee on Television, which is charged with overseeing the league's TV contracts and other related broadcast issues.
Like her older sister, Yow has been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Yow has written numerous articles and books on athletics management and human behavior. She holds a bachelor's degree from Elon University and a master's degree from Liberty University. She also has been awarded honorary doctorates for professional achievement from Elon, Liberty and the United States Sports Academy. She is married to Dr. William W. Bowden.
Yow will be honored in December alongside 2019 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Torry Holt. The program also saw the recognition of quarterback Ryan Finley as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 2018 for his combined effort on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
The Toner Award is presented annually by the NFF to athletics directors who have demonstrated superior administrative abilities and shown outstanding dedication to college athletics, particularly college football. The award is named in honor of its inaugural recipient John L. Toner, former athletics director and football coach at Connecticut and NCAA President.
Yow, who has served on the NFF Board of Directors since 2008, will be honored Dec. 10 at the 62nd NFF Annual Awards Dinner at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City.
The announcement adds to Yow's list of recent recognitions as she was also named the 2019 James J. Corbett Memorial Award Recipient, earned induction into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame, and will be honored as a 2018-19 Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year.
Yow became the first female athletics director in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and went on to oversee a program of 23 varsity sports at NC State from 2010-19. After inheriting an athletics department that had just one team finish ranked in the Top 25 in its respective sport the year prior to her arrival, a combined 40 teams finished ranked in the last four years, including 12 in 2017-18.
During her time in Raleigh, Yow made significant changes to the structure and branding of the athletics department. She oversaw a department at NC State that included approximately 185 full-time staff and 550 student-athletes.
Her team established Wolfpack Sports Properties in a new working agreement for multi-media rights with Learfield Communications; a department-wide apparel agreement with Adidas; and a Five-Year Strategic Plan. She also led in the creation of the comprehensive NC State Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its inaugural class in 2012.
She hired 17 new head coaches, including current football coach Dave Doeren in 2013, who has led the Wolfpack to back-to-back nine-win seasons (2017-18), a top-25 ranking in 2017 and five straight bowl berths.
Since 2010, NC State has had 16 football players, including a school-record five in 2019, honored as members of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society, which is comprised of college football players from all divisions of play who each maintained a cumulative 3.2 GPA or better throughout their college careers.
Yow oversaw the renovations to Reynolds Coliseum, a $35 million joint project with the university to create an incredible home environment for teams competing in the facility, while honoring the Wolfpack's athletic legacy with the NC State Athletics Walk of Fame & History. Facilities have been at the forefront of her tenure, and in 2015 NC State opened the $14 million Close-King Indoor Practice Facility.
A native of Gibsonville, North Carolina, Yow served as president of NACDA and the national Division I-A Athletic Directors Association. She has also served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Academic Enhancement Committee and represented the ACC on the NCAA Management Council.
Both Street and Smith's Sports Business Journal and the Chronicle of Higher Education have cited Yow as being one of the 20 most influential people in college athletics. She was selected to serve on the President's U.S. Department of Education Commission on Opportunities in Athletics to review the status of Federal Title IX regulations. She earlier served as the chair of the ACC Committee on Television, which is charged with overseeing the league's TV contracts and other related broadcast issues.
Like her older sister, Yow has been inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.
Yow has written numerous articles and books on athletics management and human behavior. She holds a bachelor's degree from Elon University and a master's degree from Liberty University. She also has been awarded honorary doctorates for professional achievement from Elon, Liberty and the United States Sports Academy. She is married to Dr. William W. Bowden.
Yow will be honored in December alongside 2019 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Torry Holt. The program also saw the recognition of quarterback Ryan Finley as an NFF National Scholar-Athlete in 2018 for his combined effort on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
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