The Big Ten on Monday announced commissioner Jim Delany will step down from his position in June 2020, when his contract expires.
According to a release from the conference, The Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), led by COP/C Chair and Northwestern University President Morton Schapirohas, have initiated a search process. They have retained the services of Korn Ferry, a management consulting firm based in Los Angeles, to assist in it.
“Jim has had an extraordinary impact on the Big Ten Conference, its member institutions, administrators, students and coaches since 1989,” Schapiro said. “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.”
Delany has held his current position since being chosen in 1989. The conference has added four new members - Penn State in 1990, Nebraska in 2011 and Maryland and Rutgers in 2014 - and established its own television network during his tenure. Most recently, in the summer of 2017, the Big Ten signed a six-year deal with ESPN, FOX and CBS worth $2.64 billion.
Delany's embracing of media rights has helped IU, whose athletics department reportedly earned nearly $41 million from that source last year according Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star.
“It’s been an amazing opportunity to serve and lead these preeminent institutions, presidents, administrators, coaches and students,” Delany said. “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.”
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