March 22, 2017
Auburn, AL-- Jay Jacobs has been named a finalist for the prestigious Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year Award.
The Sports Business Journal award recognizes excellence and outstanding achievement in the business of college sports and the overall leadership of top collegiate athletic programs.
"I'm humbled to see Auburn Athletics once again earn recognition as one of the best departments in all of college athletics," Jacobs said. "The Sports Business Journal is the industry standard for excellence in the business of sports, so I am excited to be a finalist and look forward to representing all those in the department who made it possible. This recognition is a credit to Auburn Athletics, the entire university community and the Auburn Family."
The Athletic Director Award will be presented at the Sports Business Awards gala in New York City in May, along with other awards honoring the top professional teams and executives in sports.
In addition to Jacobs, other finalists for the coveted Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year award include Whit Babcock (Virginia Tech) Chris Del Conte (TCU) Dan Guerrero (UCLA) and Dan Radakovich (Clemson).
"Sports Business Journal and Sports Business Daily established the Sports Business Awards in 2008 to celebrate and recognize the leaders, visionaries and day-to-day practitioners who personify excellence in the business of sports," according to SBJ's website.
In Jacobs' 12-year tenure as athletics director, Auburn has consistently excelled in areas of strategic importance: Athletic Success, Academic Excellence, Fiscal Responsibility, Compliance and Fan Experience.
In the most recent academic year, five Auburn teams had best-in-history performances. The average cumulative GPA of Auburn's student athletes is 3.17, the best in program history. Forty percent of Auburn's student-athletes are on track to graduate with honors.
Revenues and profits hit record highs for Auburn Athletics for the last fiscal year. There have been no major rules violations during his entire tenure as AD, and a recent survey ranked Auburn's gameday experience as the best in the SEC for the second year in a row.
The recognition as a finalist for the Sports Business Journal Athletic Director of the Year Award is the second national honor Jacobs has received this year. He was named a NACDA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year earlier this month. Jacobs will receive the award at NACDA's national convention in June.