JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - University of North Alabama Director of Athletics, Dr. Josh Looney, has been named as a 2025-26 NACDA Athletics Director of the Year, it was announced Monday by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). Looney is the 10th ASUN Athletic Director to be recognized by NACDA.
“Congratulations to Dr. Looney on this tremendous honor,” Atlantic Sun Conference Commissioner
Jeff Bacon said. “Josh is a leader amongst leaders, and I am thrilled to see him recognized for all of the great things that are happening at North Alabama. I am certain there is more to come!”
Looney, who was named as the ninth Director of Athletics at the University of North Alabama in July 2021, has been transformative for UNA Athletics with facility projects, record fundraising, deepening campus and community partnerships, and competitive success. The most notable being Bank Independent Stadium - the largest construction project in North Alabama Athletics history.
Along with facility enhancements to each of UNA’s 14 sports, the department’s academic achievement and reputation has expanded as well. During the 2024-25 year, the department posted its highest academic year on record with a 3.28 GPA across all sports - marking the third consecutive term above a 3.25 for UNA Athletics.
The GPA accomplishments have fueled department bests for the NCAA’s Academic Progress Rate (APR), a national metric reflecting student-athlete retention and graduation outcomes. In 2024, North Alabama announced a single-year APR of 987, marking a new school record where nine programs earned perfect 1000 APR scores.
During Looney’s tenure with UNA Athletics, success on the field and court have also progressed; in 2024-25, North Alabama captured the Jesse C. Fletcher ASUN Men’s All-Sports Trophy for the first time in program history - the program’s first all-sports trophy in nearly 25 years. Five teams have made their Division I postseason debuts since Looney took over his leadership role including men’s basketball, men’s golf, softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. During that same time, five programs reached the ASUN Championship Finals: men’s basketball, women’s soccer, softball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. Looney has also hired the only ASUN Coaches of the Year in UNA history - Kaleb VanDePerre (beach volleyball), Olaya Garrido-Rivas (women’s tennis) and Aitor Reparaz (men’s tennis).
Looney has also served on multiple committees during his time as UNA's athletic director, including an appointment to the NCAA Division I Football Championship Committee in 2025. His term as the United Athletic Conference representative runs through August 2028. He previously served on the NCAA Football Rules Committee from 2018-2021 and currently serves as vice chair of the Atlantic Sun Conference Athletics Administrators Committee.
The NACDA Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) Awards program was created to honor intercollegiate directors of athletics for their commitment and administrative excellence within a campus and/or college community environment over the course of the last year. The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior/Community Colleges) and annually honors 28 athletics directors (four from each division). Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 61st Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Features Session on Tuesday, June 9 starting at 4 p.m.
About the Atlantic Sun Conference
The Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN), founded in 1978, is an NCAA Division I conference sponsoring twenty-two (22) sports and championships. Composed of twelve (12) destination-based institutions spread throughout the southeastern United States, ASUN members include Austin Peay State University (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine University (Louisville, Ky.), the University of Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky University (Richmond, Ky.), Florida Gulf Coast University (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville University (Fla.), Lipscomb University (Nashville, Tenn.), the University of North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), the University of North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens University of Charlotte (Charlotte, N.C.), Stetson University (DeLand, Fla.), and the University of West Georgia (Carrollton, Ga.).