“John loved the ACC and spent over 40 years in administrative leadership roles as an AD and as its commissioner after having also been a student athlete in the league. To say that is unusual in the world of college athletics would be an understatement.”
— Debbie Yow, former AD at N.C. State and Maryland
“I always looked at John as a model for how to present yourself, especially in the midst of some really tricky and complicated issues. To go through everything that he and his peers have gone through, in terms of conference realignment, shifting to the CFP, navigating all of the changes in the media landscape, it’s a lot, and John has done it as the ultimate professional.”
— ESPN’s Burke Magnus
“Whenever he was making a major decision, whether it was on bowls, TV deals, whatever, he always had a good ability to get ahead of it and make himself as prepared as possible. He was really good at managing those internal and external forces when big decisions had to be made. When you think of him as a Morehead Scholar and an athlete, an AD and a commissioner, it’s really a storybook progression.”
— USF AD Michael Kelly, who previously oversaw football operations for the ACC
“I don’t know if everyone understands what an incredible force John has been for college athletics. It was all part of the way he way he treated people and the way he listened that made him the ultimate consensus builder.”
— Longtime AD and Swofford friend Jim Livengood
“John was not the type to try to take over the room. He could have been the bully because of North Carolina’s history, but he always saw what was best for everyone.”
— Todd Turner, former AD and Swofford’s fraternity brother at UNC
