Yow Named to National Football Foundation Board of Directors
9/27/2007 8:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 27, 2007
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - University of Maryland director of athletics Deborah A. Yow was one of eight national leaders who were named as new members of the board of directors for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, it was announced Thursday.
Yow joins Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, New England Patriots owner Robert Craft, businessman Michael Moe, Under Armour chairman and CEO Kevin Plank, former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany and SEC Commissioner Mike Slive on the national panel.
"I'm honored to be asked to join the Board and look forward to serving in this role," said Yow, now in her 14th season as director of athletics at Maryland.
Founded in 1947 with leadership and support from Gen. Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army Coach Red Blaik and journalist Grantland Rice, the National Football Foundation serves as a leading voice in the promotion of amateur football and its ability to develop the qualities of leadership, sportsmanship, competitive zeal and the drive for academic achievement in America's young people.
"Adding individuals of this caliber to our national board reinforces our role as a driving force in the promotion of amateur football from border-to-border and coast-to-coast," said NFF Chairman Ron Johnson. "As we celebrate the NFF's 60th anniversary, this widely respected group of individuals will provide precious insight and guidance in our ability to promote the good in the game."
During Yow's tenure at Maryland, the university has won 15 national championships, including an unprecedented six over the last two seasons. She has overseen the growth of the department that now offers 27 intercollegiate sports and provides a positive experience for more than 700 student-athletes.
Her efforts recently helped win Maryland Athletics a PRISM Award as the best-managed intercollegiate athletics program in the nation. Yow, a former president of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics, has also served on the NCAA Management Council, the NCAA Division I Budget Committee and has become one of the strongest and most consistent voices on behalf of intercollegiate athletics in America.
Yow has been a guiding force in the renewal of football at the University of Maryland. In addition to hiring Ralph Friedgen, who won National Coach of the Year honors in his first season as head coach in College Park, Yow has overseen the enhancement of the Gossett Football Team House and has directed an effort that will result in a $50.8 million expansion of facilities at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.
