This is a list of athletic directors of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference and competes in NCAA Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision. Troy Dannen was appointed Nebraska's seventeenth full-time athletic director in 2024.
Nebraska recognizes seventeen official athletic directors, though at least fourteen others have held the role in an interim or de facto capacity. NU's longest-serving athletic director was Bob Devaney, who led the department from 1967 to 1992.
History In its earliest days, the Nebraska Department of Athletics had no central figure or "athletic director," and the history of how this position developed is unclear. The department's first leaders typically were part-time officials who held others titles and responsibilities at the university. Oftentimes this person served on the Athletic Board, a group of faculty members which governed the department. Early heads of the department were given the title "Athletics Manager" – the first was multi-sport coach and physical education professor Raymond G. Clapp, who filled the role from 1902 to 1905. The first individual to hold the title "athletic director" was E. J. Stewart, who served from 1916 to 1919 and also coached football and basketball during parts of his tenure. However, Nebraska does not consider Stewart its first athletic director because it was not a full-time administrative position; this designation belongs to Fred Luehring, who became AD in 1920. Like Clapp and Stewart, many of Nebraska's early athletic directors simultaneously coached one of the university's major varsity teams, primarily football – six of NU's first ten athletic directors also coached football during their tenure.
Aside from Bob Devaney, NU's football coach for the first six of his twenty-six years as athletic director, the position has been a standalone role since 1954. Including Devaney, five members of the College Football Hall of Fame have held the position.
List of part-time athletic managers 1 Raymond G. Clapp 1902–1905 2 Earl Eager 1905–1911 Ewald O. Stiehm 1911–1915 3 Guy Reed 1914–1918 4 E. J. Stewart 1916–1919 5 Robert Scott 1919 James T. Lees 1919–1920
List of athletic directors 1 Fred Luehring 1920–1922 Resigned to become athletic director at Minnesota 2 Fred Dawson 1922–1925 Resigned to become head football coach at Denver Interim Herbert D. Gish 1925–1928 3 Herbert D. Gish 1928–1932 Entered private business 4 Dana X. Bible 1932–1936 Resigned to become head football coach at Texas 5 Biff Jones 1937–1942 Ordered to active duty by the United States Army. Became athletic director at the United States Military Academy Interim John K. Selleck 1942–1943 Became comptroller of the university Interim Glenn Presnell 1943 Joined the United States Navy Interim Adolph J. Lewandowski 1943–1946 6 Adolph J. Lewandowski 1946–1947 Resigned to focus on his duties as business manager for the athletic department 7 George Clark 1948–1953 Retired Interim Adolph J. Lewandowski 1953–1954 8 Bill Orwig 1954–1961 Resigned to become athletic director at Indiana Interim Charles MillerJoseph Soshnik 1961–1962 9 Tippy Dye 1962–1967 Resigned to become athletic director at Northwestern 10 Bob Devaney 1967–1992 Retired 11 Bill Byrne 1992–2002 Resigned to become athletic director at Texas A&M Interim Joe Selig 2002–2003 12 Steve Pederson 2003–2007 FiredInterim Tom Osborne 2007 13 Tom Osborne 2007–2013 Retired 14 Shawn Eichorst 2013–2017 Fired Interim Dave Rimington 2017 15 Bill Moos 2017–2021 Retired Interim Garrett Klassy 2021 16 Trev Alberts 2021–2024 Resigned to become athletic director at Texas A&M Interim Dennis Leblanc 2024 17 Troy Dannen 2024–present
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