BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe will retire at the conclusion of the 2024-25 athletic season, BYU announced in a statement Tuesday afternoon.
“His tireless work to champion BYU helped lead to BYU joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023. His creative football scheduling through an era of independence, making key head coaching hires in multiple sports, being named an NACDA Athletic Director of the Year and numerous other awards and accomplishments will long be remembered,” BYU spokesperson Jon McBride said in a statement. “For those who knew Holmoe well, more impressive was his love and care for the more than 4,000 student-athletes who competed at BYU under his watch and his commitment to the unique values and mission of BYU and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
Since assuming the position of athletic director in 2005, Holmoe has overseen four national championships, 133 conference championships and more than 350 All-America selections at BYU, according to the school’s press release.
Holmoe played a key role in navigating BYU football’s move to independence in 2011, a risky choice that paid off when the school received an invitation to join the Big 12 in 2021.
In order to make football independence a successful venture, Holmoe helped to orchestrate a lucrative broadcasting partnership with ESPN along with placing BYU’s olympic sports in the West Coast Conference for a decade before finding a permanent Power Conference home in the Big 12.
Additionally, Holmoe made a number of laudable coaching hires during his tenure, including Bronco Mendenhall, Dave Rose, Kalani Sitake, Diljeet Taylor, Mark Pope and Kevin Young.
Holmoe earned NACDA Athletic Director of the year honors in 2021, thanks to his efforts in assembling a new BYU football schedule on the fly so the Cougars could compete amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During Holmoe’s two decades of leadership, BYU held an average annual ranking of 36th in the NACDA Learfield Directors’ Cup, which ranks every Division-I athletic program in the country.
Holmoe first arrived at BYU as a defensive back in 1978, starting three seasons for LaVell Edwards’ Cougars before heading to the NFL to win four Super Bowl rings as both a player and coach with the San Francisco 49ers. He would later serve as head football coach at the University of California from 1997-2001.
“Holmoe’s retirement comes on the heels of BYU’s celebration of its 100th season of football,” McBride said. “As a player, coach and administrator, Holmoe was a part of BYU football for more than a quarter century, playing and coaching as a graduate assistant alongside his mentor and legendary coach LaVell Edwards.
“Holmoe will retire on a high note, after one of BYU football’s most successful football seasons, defeating Colorado in the Alamo Bowl to cap an 11-2 season and finish with a No. 13 final ranking.
BYU will hold a press conference for Holmoe to “address the media and Cougar Nation” on Wednesday at 10 a.m. MST, which can be viewed on BYUtv.
