How Football Saved The ACC Posted Nov 2, 2017 ACC commissioner John Swofford is a 68-year-old man in charge of a 64-year-old league that has found high-level success in many sports. A football player at UNC from 1969-71, he grew up in North Carolina at a time when the ACC was far more famous for men’s basketball. Now he oversees a conference that benefits far more financially for its gridiron success. (ACC Sports Journal)