Tom Moreland Introduced as Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics

VIDEO: News Conference introducing Toledo's new athletic director

TOLEDO, Ohio - Tom Moreland was officially introduced as the Vice President and Director of Athletics at the University of Toledo in a news conference at Savage Arena on Tuesday.

"This is such an exciting moment for the University," said University of Toledo President James Holloway. "We've got a great athletic director coming in to take what is already a great athletics program and take it forward. I really couldn't be more thrilled."

Moreland, who previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer at the University of Illinois, begins his term at Toledo on May 11.

"To serve as a director of athletics at the University of Toledo is an incredible honor," said Moreland. "This department matters, this University matters, this city matters. And that's what makes this opportunity so special. Toledo is a place of pride, momentum, community connection, and real opportunity. We have engaging, energized fans, donors, and alumni. We have talented coaches and staff. We have committed student-athletes. And there's a community here that wants Toledo to win.

"The most important thing I can probably share today is we will be relentless in our pursuit of championships. We expect to compete for championships. We expect to be at the top of the Mid-American Conference. We expect to recruit, develop, and support our student-athletes at a championship level."

Moreland's tenure at the University of Illinois was marked by significant success and achievement. Under his guidance, Illinois implemented a new approach to sales, fundraising, and marketing. This strategic shift directly contributed to the increased popularity of the Fighting Illini football program, as evidenced by a remarkable growth of 21,000 new season tickets in 2024 and selling out of season tickets for the first time in the last 20 years. Furthermore, contributions to the I FUND grew from $7.2M to an all-time high of $14.6M, driven by the successful introduction of a new outbound fan engagement strategy.

Additionally, the Illinois men's basketball program set new records for season ticket sales and revenue, establishing itself as the leading revenue-generating men's basketball program in the Big Ten Conference. A significant milestone was achieved with the complete sellout of men's basketball season tickets in 2024-25 for the first time in 10 years and record season ticket sales for the Illini women's basketball program.

Moreland implemented the Illini ERA campaign (Evolve. Refine. Advance.), a modernization initiative that elevated ticket sales, engagement, and I FUND strategies, successfully generating an additional $10 million in commercial revenue. He further innovated corporate engagement and sponsorship sales by forging a first-of-its-kind partnership with Learfield. This unique collaboration embedded Learfield's sponsorship and NIL services and personnel directly within the Illinois Athletics Department, creating a unified operational team.

Moreland joined the Fighting Illini after six successful seasons at Purdue. During his time at Purdue, Moreland was responsible for all strategic initiatives and revenue generation for the Boilermakers. In addition, Moreland served in the office of sports administration for Purdue Athletics with his primary oversight of the Purdue football program. During Moreland's tenure, the football team experienced great success on and off the playing field. On the field, the Boilermakers appeared in the 2022 Big Ten Championship Game, 2023 Citrus Bowl, and won the 2021 Music City Bowl. In the classroom, Purdue was recognized with the Provost's Award for the program's commitment to academic success.

At Purdue, Moreland provided direct oversight of the Purdue Athletics ticket office, sales & development unit, business strategy, Purdue Sports Properties, licensing & retail, strategic partnerships, and Purdue Athletics apparel partner, Nike. With his arrival in 2017, Moreland's efforts helped drive record growth with an 80% increase in revenue for the department, including increased football season tickets sales by 18,000 tickets, record attendance and revenue for men's basketball with a 58-game straight sellout streak. Purdue Athletics gained national recognition for its innovative approach to revenue generation, receiving accolades from several industry organizations.

Under Moreland's leadership, he and his team implemented key initiatives including the establishment of a new outbound revenue generation and fan engagement strategy, the creation of a business strategy unit, and an enhanced focus on strategic planning.

Moreland joined the Boilermakers from the University of Iowa, where he served as assistant director of development (2010-12), associate director of development (2012-14), director of development (2014-17), and director of development and premium services (2017). He directed various fundraising and revenue generation programs, including the $170 million National I-Club campaign. Moreland launched and led the successful Kinnick Edge Campaign, a $25 million philanthropic campaign that included the sale of 1,600 club seats. He also created a corporate engagement strategy that resulted in $3.5 million in new corporate revenue in its inaugural year.

In 2009 and 2010, Moreland served as the director of baseball operations and external relations at Arizona State University. During his time, the Sun Devils qualified for the College World Series and finished the season ranked seventh nationally.

Moreland earned a master's degree in intercollegiate athletic leadership from the University of Washington and a master's in business administration from Purdue University Global. He has two bachelor's degrees – sports management, and journalism and mass communications – from the University of Iowa, where he played baseball for the Hawkeyes.

A native of Shorewood, Wis., Moreland and his wife Jen are parents to two sons, Hayes and Jones.

Tom Moreland File
Education:
• Bachelor's degrees in sports management and mass communications, University of Iowa '07
• Master's degree in intercollegiate athletic leadership, University of Washington '10
• Master's degree in business administration, Purdue Global '20

Administrative Experience:
2026-pres.       Vice president and director of athletics, The University of Toledo
2023-26            Chief commercial officer, University of Illinois
2017-23            Senior associate athletics director – strategic initiatives/Chief Revenue Officer, Purdue University
2014-17             Director of development, University of Iowa
2014-17             Director of development and premium services, University of Iowa
2012-14             Associate director of development, University of Iowa
2010-12             Assistant director of development, University of Iowa
2009-10             Director of baseball operations and external relations, Arizona State University

College Playing Experience:
2004-07            Baseball, Iowa

Family:
Wife, Jen, sons Hayes and Jones

What They Are Saying About Tom Moreland

"What excites me most about Tom isn't just his remarkable record of results, and that record is impressive. From the first moment when he spoke to us, he centered his vision on the student-athlete experience, the physical, emotional, and academic well-being of our students. That was the starting point, and that's where the starting point exactly must be. And then, he brought everything else you want from a modern athletic director: fundraising, creative revenue generation, fan engagement, and an expectation of excellence. Tom has spent his career in that space, and he has thrived."
- Dr. James Holloway, President, The University of Toledo

"Tom Moreland's hiring as Athletic Director at the University of Toledo represents a career milestone that he has earned through diligent work and thoughtful leadership spanning across multiple Big Ten institutions. Over these last three years, Illinois Athletics has been the most recent beneficiary of Tom's expertise. His innovative strategy helped deliver record revenues with dramatic increases in ticket sales and attendance during a time of historic success for our programs. He was also heavily involved in our evolving approach to NIL and corporate sponsorship. We extend our most heartfelt congratulations to Tom and his family and wish them all the best with the Rockets."
- Josh Whitman, Director of Athletics, The University of Illinois

"Congratulations to Toledo for selecting Tom Moreland to lead their athletics department. Tom is a strategic thinker with a great grasp of the opportunities and challenges in the current landscape of college athletics. He was a tremendous asset to us during his time at Purdue, helping drive record growth in multiple revenue streams and implementing forward-looking strategies that we still benefit from today. I'm confident he'll work diligently and creatively to have Toledo well positioned for continued success in the years ahead. We wish Tom and his family the very best as they join the Toledo community."
- Mike Bobinski, Executive Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics, Purdue University

"I've known Tom for many years. He's a true professional, he's excited for the opportunity to lead Toledo's program, and I'm confident he'll do a terrific job."
- Gary Barta, former Director of Athletics, The University of Iowa

Related News

Tom Moreland Introduced as Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics

Related Videos

Footer