A long and very successful tenure for the Big Ten will be coming to an end in 2020 according to a release from the conference today.
That’s because long-time commissioner Jim Delany will be retiring at the end of his current contract that concludes in June of 2020. Delany has been acting as commissioner of the league since 1989 and has seen and initiated a lot of change at his time on the post.
In fact, he has often led the conference in staking out new frontiers in college athletics. He helped bring about conference expansion, initiated the move to instant replay in college, was the catalyst that launched the extremely successful Big Ten Network (BTN), and took part in discussions that led from the BCS to a four-team playoff.
Delany was, and still is, one of the most powerful figures in amateur athletics and his presence will be missed. The conference also notes the launch of a search for a new commissioner.
Here is the complete release from the Big Ten office.
ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced today that James E. Delany will officially conclude his term as Big Ten Commissioner at the end of his current contract which expires on June 30, 2020.
The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C) has initiated a search process under the direction of the COP/C Executive Committee and led by COP/C Chair Morton Schapiro, President, Northwestern University. They have retained the services of Korn Ferry to assist in the search.
“Jim has had an extraordinary impact on the Big Ten Conference, its member institutions, administrators, students and coaches since 1989,” said Schapiro. “He has been a forward-thinking, collaborative and decisive leader in every aspect of conference proceedings. We thank him for his dedicated service to date and look forward to working with him through the conclusion of his contract.”
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to serve and lead these preeminent institutions, presidents, administrators, coaches and students,” said Delany. “It is incredibly fulfilling to support the hundreds of thousands of young men and women who have been afforded an opportunity to obtain best-in-class educations as a result of the invaluable, one-of-a-kind lessons learned through the unique combination of athletic and classroom competition. I would like to recognize and thank each of my colleagues for being such invaluable members of, and contributors to, the Big Ten Conference team, while acknowledging that there is still plenty of work to be done. I look forward to continuing that work through the balance of my term.”
