Former Quarterback Jernstedt Earns Legacy Award

Tom Jernstedt, the former University of Oregon quarterback and athletics administrator who went on to become a powerful figure in the management of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, will receive the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame Legacy Award at the organization’s annual awards dinner in New York City in December.

Jernstedt, who rose to the rank of NCAA executive vice president, retired in August after 38 years with the governing body of collegiate sports. During his tenure, Jernstedt oversaw Division I football and served as president of USA Basketball and on the board of the U.S. Olympic Committee. He’s best known for his key role in overseeing the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, which under his guidance rose from $1 million in revenue and 32 teams in 1972, the year before he took over the tournament, to 68 teams this coming season and a new $10.8 billion TV rights deal.

“Since the early 1970s, Tom Jernstedt has been a steady and powerful force in the growth of intercollegiate athletics while playing a pivotal role in expanding opportunities for student-athletes,” NFF president and CEO Steven Hatchell said. “Tom is a true pioneer and visionary who has been one of the key invisible hands that have helped guide college athletics during the past four decades.”

A native Oregonian from Carlton, Jernstedt came to the UO as a quarterback (1964-66) for Coach Len Casanova. Injuries derailed his football career, but Jernstedt graduated from Oregon and had three different jobs in the athletic department from 1969-72 — events manager, administrative assistant and athletics business manager before going to work for the NCAA.