The honour crowns the university judged to have made the biggest contribution to the United States softball team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Four of the 15-player US squad that went on to win the silver medal were current or former UCLA Bruins.

Ally Carda, Delaney Spaulding, Rachel Garcia and Bubba Nickles all played at UCLA - with Garcia and Nickles still at the school in 2021 in the direct lead-up to the Olympics.

UCLA athletics director Martin Jarmond is due to accept the honour during the National Football Foundation's 64th Annual Awards in Las Vegas today.

"It's because of collegiate programs like UCLA and athletic directors like Martin Jarmond that help keep the sport of softball strong in our country and around the world," USA Softball chief executive Craig Cress said. 

"The tireless efforts from the collegiate coaches and staff to help athletes master their craft - both on and off the field - is what makes the professional and international stages so superior. 

"We cannot thank the coaches of UCLA and all our other collegiate softball programmes enough for their dedication to preparing athletes for the highest stage."

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee last week announced Stanford University as winner of the overall Team USA Collegiate Impact Award for Tokyo 2020.

UCLA's prominence in the Olympic world is only likely to increase leading up to Los Angeles 2028, with its campus set to be used to house athletes.

Legislation has also been passed in California which makes it easier for Olympians and Paralympians to prepare for the Games in the state and encouraged to enroll in schools such as UCLA.