USC athletic director Mike Bohn received plenty of national attention in late November when he pulled off the coup of the so-called coaching carousel, hiring football coach Lincoln Riley away from Oklahoma.
And on Tuesday, Bohn received some major national recognition in being named one of four 2021-22 Football Bowl Subdivision Athletics Director of the Year honorees by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Bohn is the first USC AD to ever receive the honor, which has been awarded since 1998-99.
The other three FBS recipients are Arkansas’ Hunter Yurachek, NC State’s Boo Corrigan and Wake Forest’s John Currie.
In 2021, USC won three NCAA national championships in women's track and field, water polo and beach volleyball to tie for the most of any Division I school, and six other Trojans programs finished top 10 nationally, including the men's basketball team's Elite Eight run last March.
USC also posted its highest-ever NCAA Graduation Success Rate at 92 percent.
In addition to hiring Riley, Bohn also made a splash hire for the women's basketball program in bringing in Lindsay Gottlieb, who was an assistant coach for the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Mike is transforming the culture of USC Athletics in so many ways, and I want to congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition," USC President Carol Folt said in a statement. "Putting students first and caring about their development on and off the field is Mike's primary focus, and we are already seeing the positive impact of that strategy across the breadth of Trojan Athletics. Much progress has been made, but the best is yet to come."
"Since Mike came aboard as athletic director, he has been a visionary leader and has ushered in a new era for USC Athletics," USC Board of Trustees Chair Rick Caruso said in a statement. "Mike's focus on students, on hiring the best coaches and staff, and on integrity and accountability, has already begun to transform USC Athletics into a world-class organization that sets the standard for collegiate athletic departments."
Bohn, who has been USC's athletic director for a little over two years now, also released a statement on the award.
"Whenever a leader is recognized, it is a reflection of the entire organization and the dedicated people within it," Bohn said.. "It is a blessing to be on a team at USC that has made incredible impact and enacted meaningful change during the most transformative period in the history of college athletics. Each day I am inspired by the efforts of our coaches and staff to build a student-athlete centered program that garners national respect and fulfills our vision and mission as an athletics program. Receiving the 2021-22 Cushman & Wakefield Athletics Director of the Year Award, and joining this elite group of fellow winners and past recipients, is a special honor that I will cherish forever. I am extremely appreciative of the Trojan Family for their passionate support, and I am very thankful to President Carol Folt and Chairman Rick Caruso for giving me the privilege of leading USC's athletics program."
