Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany will be stepping down at the end of June next year, the conference announced on Monday.
Delany’s contract expires June 30, 2020 and will not be renewed. Delany has been in this role since 1989, so this day was eventually coming.
The conference has already begun the search process for a replacement.
Here is the full release from the B1G.
Big Ten Announces Delany to Conclude Term as Commissioner in June 2020
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.”
IDK – I thought the B1G Network was ground breaking at the time and in my opinion was primarily responsible for the shift in CFB. Change is hard, but I think the guy did a good job. Bringing on the East Coast teams for the audience shares and revenue helps the conference (I think) as a whole. There is something to be said for tradition, but doesn’t all tradition begin somewhere?
I hope the new guy or gal will tell the schedule makers to stop screwing over the Buckeyes (the best team in the conference) with a tough game before the wolverine game. In 2015 we lost at home to MSU the week before we went up to MI. This year we get to play PSU on senior day then we get to go up to AA the following week. I hope we can win both games this year with a new QB and head coach.
Hopefully his replacement has some balls and fights to get teams in the CFP instead of being more than happy in the Rose Bowl.
This. And send a memo to our AD while we’re at it.
Best news ever! Can he take Rutgers and Maryland with him?!
Along with the 9 game conference schedule and Friday night football!!!!