Scott Dolson Named 2026 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year

BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced on Monday that Indiana University Vice President and Athletic Director Scott Dolson was named the 2026 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year.

Dolson will be recognized with the other honorees at the NACDA Convention in Las Vegas on June 9. He was honored in the Division I FBS category and he becomes the first IU Athletic Director to ever win the award.

“I don’t know if my own wife at times would vote for me for this award. So it’s kind of overwhelming when you hear that, but it’s also a team award,” said Dolson.

Dolson says a lot of people put so much work into the athletic department and he can’t thank them enough.

“They are recognizing the Athletic Director with this, but I look at this as a departmental recognition. We’ve talked a lot in our department about playing the cards we’re dealt the best we can and putting ourself in the best position to be successful. It’s really about our student athletes. We don’t want to lose the foundation of what IU Athletics is all about. That’s sticking to our core mission of graduating our student athletes. It’s about maximizing our opportunity,” said Dolson.

Dolson said he’s heard from lots of students who have some of the best grade point averages on campus. They tell him how happy they are that he hired Curt Cignetti to lead the IU Football Program. The IU Football team won the National Championship in January and went 16-0 in the process. They also got their first Big Ten Football Championship in 58 years. IU quarterback Fernando Mendoza also won the Heisman Trophy Award, which is a first for the IU football program.

Dolson was also one of four athletic directors selected to attend a White House roundtable discussion regarding the future of college athletics. He also recently concluded a two-year term as Chairperson of the Big Ten Athletic Directors Group and was appointed to the NCAA Division I Baseball Selection Committee in early 2024.

“Having come to school here (at Indiana) and never left, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. It’s all about helping our athletic programs succeed and elevate the entire university,” said Dolson.