The Bob Basten Excellence in Leadership Award is presented annually to a former Saint John’s University football player who has exhibited outstanding leadership traits, has been involved in his community and with his alma mater, has carried a sense of fair play beyond the football field and has demonstrated an overall commitment to excellence.
That reads like a perfect description of Denis McDonough.
The 1992 SJU graduate – who helped lead the Johnnies to MIAC titles in 1989 and ’91 – has gone on to serve at the highest levels of government, including as the current U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs (a post he has said he will remain in through January of 2025) and as White House chief of staff to former president Barack Obama.
That long record of public service makes him an ideal choice as this year’s Basten Award recipient.
The award was created in 2009, and is named in honor of Basten ’82, who went to training camp with the Minnesota Vikings before embarking on a successful career as a business executive. He died in 2012 after a decade-long battle with ALS/Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
“I didn’t know him, but I certainly know of him,” said McDonough, who will receive the award as part of halftime festivities when SJU plays host to Augsburg for Homecoming on Oct. 5 at Clemens Stadium.
“It’s a huge honor to be associated with someone who was such a force on the field and was so beloved by everyone who played with him. I have so much admiration for his business acumen – especially founding Centerprise Advisers (now UHY Advisors, a leading tax and business consulting firm) – and for the way he stared down adversity through his battle with ALS.
“When you look at the past winners of this award, it’s such an amazing group of people,” he continued. “It’s a humbling accomplishment to be associated with the other names on that list.”
McDonough played for legendary former SJU head coach John Gagliardi, who remains the winningest coach in college football history. He was part of teams that advanced to the NCAA Division III national semifinals in both 1989 and ’91, and finished his collegiate career with 12 interceptions, 171 tackles (70 solo) and 25 passes defended in a total of 38 games played.
Off the field, he graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in history and Spanish and was chosen as his class’s commencement speaker.
“I learned a number of lessons playing at Saint John’s,” McDonough said. “We used to run a 5-2 read defense in which everybody had a gap to defend. If everyone defended their gaps, our opponents didn’t advance. That showed me that 11 men working together could make anything happen.
“The second lesson was the respect John accorded us by insisting we called him by his first name. I was floored by that. To me, it was such a great example of leadership and management. Here was a person who controlled access to our dreams – in terms of deciding whether we saw the field or not. But he treated us as human beings and as people who had meaning. That always stuck with me.
“Then there was the general lesson you pick up at Saint John’s, which is to follow the Rule of Benedict and treat everyone as Christ. I don’t always do that. I fail at it. But it’s something I aspire to.”
McDonough completed his graduate work at Georgetown University before serving in leadership and policy positions in the U.S. House of Representatives, as a professional staff member on the International Relations Committee and in the U.S. Senate for then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota and then-Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado.
He began his association with Obama in 2007, when the future president was still a U.S. Senator from Illinois, as his chief foreign policy adviser. When Obama was elected to his first term in 2008, McDonough joined his administration as the National Security Council’s head of Strategic Communication.
He also served as National Security Council Chief of Staff.
On Oct. 20, 2010, Obama announced McDonough would become Deputy National Security Adviser. It was in this position that he was part of one of the most iconic photos from that administration — when Obama’s security team watched from the White House Situation Room on May 2, 2011, as U.S. Navy SEALs conducted an operation to capture and kill Osama bin Laden. On Jan. 20, 2013, when Obama was sworn in for his second term, he appointed McDonough as Chief of Staff – a position he held until Jan. 20, 2017, when Donald Trump was inaugurated.
He was named to the NCAA’s Board of Governors in 2019. But when Joe Biden was elected president in 2020, he called McDonough back to government service, nominating him to serve as Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
Throughout his time in government, McDonough’s ties to SJU have remained strong. He received an Alumni Achievement Award in 2012 and returned to campus for his first public appearance since leaving the White House in March 2017.
He was also SJU’s commencement speaker in May 2018 and presented the 12th annual Eugene J. McCarthy lecture in October of that year.
“Denis McDonough, this year’s recipient of the Bob Basten Award, truly exemplifies what this award is all about,” SJU head coach Gary Fasching said. “During his time serving our country in his many roles in government, Denis has shown the kind of leadership, commitment to excellence and service that is the hallmark of this award.
“Denis has given a great portion of his life to making the world a better place and helping people from all walks of life. His vision of the world and how he can shape it is more than noteworthy. As one of our all-time great players, the Saint John’s football community is proud of his career accomplishments and congratulates Denis on being the recipient of the 2024 Bob Basten Award.”