Northern Illinois University Athletics

John Cheney was named the Huskies' deputy athletic director/ executive associate athletic director for operations in the summer of 2021, after beginning his NIU tenure on January 6, 2014 as a senior associate athletic director and serving as the executive associate AD since July, 2018.

At NIU, Cheney is part of the senior staff and is responsible for the strategic planning, maintenance, and management of all the Huskies' capital projects and athletic facilities, including the Convocation Center. He is a liaison with the University senior leadership and Board of Trustee on athletics related issues, as well as represents NIU on various University search and RFP evaluation committees.  Cheney oversees athletic training, ticket office, and event management units, manages summer camps, and coordinates with University Campus Services and Physical Plant staff.  He is also the contract manager and primary contact with Sodexo and Northwestern Medicine. 

He currently provides sport administration oversight of the football, women’s gymnastics, and baseball programs, and previously oversaw Women’s Cross Country.  Under his oversight, the programs have been MAC Champions in 2018 Football and 2019 gymnastics.  He has been recognized as Regional Sport Administrator of the year twice by the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/ Womens, West Region (2013) and South-Central Region (2017). He also was the Chair of the search committees that hired Head Football Coach Thomas Hammock, and Head Baseball Coach Michael Kunigonis.

Cheney has been heavily involved throughout the COVID pandemic with providing leadership and oversight of the department’s policies, testing plans, and mitigations.  He also served as the liaison with the campus and Dekalb County Health Department leadership groups managing and communicating mitigation guidelines, testing results and attestations, and impact to student athletes and athletic department staff along with our sports medicine team.

From November of 2014 to June of 2015, Cheney also served NIU as the Interim Associate Vice President for Facilities Management and Campus Services. The interim responsibilities saw Cheney serve on the President’s Cabinet, oversee all campus facility-related departments, including Physical Plant, Building Services, Grounds and Architect and Engineering Services, and supervise campus services areas such as Materials Management, Transportation, Parking Services and Environmental Health and Safety. 

Cheney arrived at NIU from Oregon State University, where he spent 12 years in OSU's event management and facilities office. After earning his master's degree at Oregon State in 2001, he was hired on as an event manager. Cheney was promoted to interim director of operations in 2002 and was named the permanent director in 2003. He was elevated to assistant athletic director for facilities and operations in 2005 and was promoted again to associate athletic director of facilities and operations in 2010.

During his time at OSU, Cheney oversaw multiple NCAA Regional and Super Regional Baseball Championships, NCAA Regional and Super Regional Softball Championships, NCAA West Regional Gymnastics Championships and the 2006 NCAA Gymnastics National Championships. In addition, he played a major role in the expansions to Reser Stadium in 2005 and 2007 and was involved in over $175 million in capital improvements undertaken during his tenure.

Cheney was a student athletic trainer at Creighton University (1993-97) and a post-graduate intern athletic trainer in 1998. He earned a bachelor's degree from Creighton in 1997 before heading to OSU, where he served as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

He is married to the former Anne Brooksby, who was a three-year letterwinner on the Oregon State women's golf team. They have three daughters, Cailey, Allie, and Maggie, and a son, Gavin.