Probably a poor example, as all athletic admits have to go thru admissions. Sure, a football (or sailing?) coach can lobby for some, but Admissions still makes the call. (And this is to the detriment of the football team’s recuiting.)
For years, Stanford has offered a 5th year MA/MS to many undergrads – not all departments offer it – so that itself does not require an official grad application, just a form to be completed and approved by the Dept. Chair.