The Big East conference renamed its Presidents’ Award after Georgetown University President Emeritus John J. DeGioia (CAS ’79, GRD ’95), the conference announced Nov. 12.
The newly named John J. DeGioia Presidents’ Award, established in 2015, annually recognizes a Big East school for its accomplishments across academics, athletics and community service. Georgetown won the award for the fourth time this year.
DeGioia, who stepped down last November after suffering a stroke, was a leader in college athletics administration throughout his tenure as Georgetown’s president from 2001 to 2024. He is known for reshaping the Big East conference, serving on the NCAA board of directors and supporting student-athletes.
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said DeGioia was an important figure in the conference’s history and deserved the honor.
“The Big East Conference is deeply indebted to Jack DeGioia for his extraordinary contributions to our sustainability and success and for his thoughtful and collaborative leadership as our conference and college sports have navigated a decade of unprecedented change,” Ackerman said in a press release.
“Jack implicitly understood the value of athletics in the context of higher education, and the many successes of Georgetown student-athletes are a testament to his ideals,” Ackerman added.
Joseph A. Ferrara, Georgetown’s chief of staff and representative to the Big East board, said DeGioia supported and valued student-athletes throughout his tenure.
“Working alongside Jack for 13 years, I saw every day his deep commitment to intercollegiate athletics and his care for student-athletes,” Ferrara said in the press release. “This is a meaningful tribute by the Big East to Jack’s decades of leadership and his belief in the power of sport to bring out the very best in our students’ academic and athletic achievement.”
The name change followed a unanimous vote of the 11-member Big East board of directors, composed of the presidents of the member schools.
Braedon Troy (CAS ’27), an avid Georgetown basketball fan, said they were grateful the Big East board recognized DeGioia’s athletic influence.
“It was a lot of pride to see someone who’s been really impactful in our personal Georgetown community being recognized for that on the athletic stage,” Troy told The Hoya. “It’s another feather in the cap of his legacy here.”
In 2013, DeGioia, along with the presidents of six other Catholic universities then in the Big East, led an effort to save the conference when it appeared to be splitting in two — divided between schools that did and did not play in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The seven universities — called the Catholic Seven — split from the conference and purchased its intellectual property and rights to the men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden, restoring the Big East to a non-football, basketball-focused league.
Since then, the Big East has undergone a renaissance and become one of the country’s premier college basketball conferences.
Ackerman said she credited DeGioia’s efforts in 2012 and 2013 with saving the conference.
“The Big East of today was made possible because of Jack’s vision and his long-standing determination to preserve the league’s priorities, values and history, and his continuing input played a critical role as we managed key decisions and steadily rebuilt our operation and standing,” Ackerman said.
Mark Guerrera (CAS ’91) — president of the Hoya Hoop Club, the men’s basketball booster organization — said DeGioia has been a key figure in the history of Georgetown Athletics.
“Georgetown Athletics is of extreme importance to the school and to its name and brand, and Jack DeGioia was one of the most prominent supporters of Georgetown Athletics across all sports,” Guerrera told The Hoya. “He was a huge proponent of the student-athlete experience — he was a student-athlete himself — and he appreciated the value that being an athlete adds to the overall development of students at Georgetown.”
Catherine Qiu (CAS ’28), an athlete on the women’s golf team, said she appreciates that the Big East recognized DeGioia’s academic and athletic efforts.
“As a student-athlete, it’s really hard to separate the two because it’s a key part of your identity — particularly at Georgetown because we really strive to be excellent in both aspects,” Qiu told The Hoya. “It’s hard not to be a huge part of your identity because of how much time and effort we invest into it, and we’re grateful for the amount of support that we have at the university in both aspects.”
“I’m excited to see the future of Georgetown’s Athletics and how it will develop with the new leadership, but I’m happy that Georgetown is being recognized by the Big East,” Qiu added.
DeGioia served as the chair of the NCAA’s board of governors, the NCAA’s highest governing body, from 2020 to 2022. He also served on other committees, specifically overseeing Division I conferences, which include the Big East. During that period, the NCAA oversaw a continuing shift in the college athletics landscape, including relaxations on the rules against student-athlete compensation.
Ackerman will present Georgetown with the newly dedicated award at the men’s basketball game against Clemson on Nov. 15.
Arjun Venkatesh (CAS ’27), another Georgetown sports fan, said the award demonstrates regional recognition of Georgetown’s athletic prowess.
“It’s good. I think people forget about us in the conference, at least over the past five years,” Venkatesh told The Hoya. “So to have that recognition, people will be like, ‘Okay, we’re back.’”
Troy said the award recognizes the importance of Georgetown Athletics to the campus community.
“It’s a point of community that we all can get behind,” Troy said. “The games are especially really fun to go to. Seeing everyone there and celebrating and feeling the same emotions together at the same time is something that is really special.”
