Tom Moreland Introduced as Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics

Tom Moreland Introduced as Toledo Vice President and Director of Athletics

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 UToledo on Monday, May 11.

"To serve as a director of athletics at The University of Toledo is an incredible honor," Moreland said. "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, Wisconsin, Moreland and his wife, Jen, are parents to two sons, Hayes and Jones.