Bowlsby to step away from role as Big 12 commissioner later this year

WACO, Texas (KWTX) - Big 12 Conference Commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced Tuesday that he will step away from the Commissioner’s chair later this year after a decade of leading the league.

Bowlsby will remain Commissioner of the Big 12 until the appointment of a new Commissioner and will then, at the request of the Conference, transition to a new interim role with the Conference, subject to the mutual agreement of Bowlsby and the new Commissioner.

”After more than 40 years of serving in leadership roles in intercollegiate athletics, including the last 10 with the Big 12, and given the major issues that college sports in general and the Big 12 specifically will address in the next several years, I have reached a natural transition point in my tenure as Commissioner, as well as in my career,” said Bowlsby.

”The Big 12 will soon bring in our four new members and negotiate a new grant of rights and media rights agreements. I truly believe the Big 12 and our member institutions are in a strong position now and as we look into the future. As such, this is an appropriate time for me to step away from the Commissioner’s role so that the next leader of the Conference can take the reins on these significant matters that will come to the forefront before the end of the term of my employment agreement in 2025 to set the stage for the Big 12′s future ongoing success.”

Bowlsby was appointed Commissioner in 2012, and under his watch, the Big 12 has seen tremendous growth in its national brand, television exposure, distributable revenue for its member institutions, and competitive success. Most recently, he guided the Big 12′s addition of four future members, with BYU, Central Florida, Cincinnati, and Houston agreeing to join the Conference no later than the 2024-25 academic year.

The Conference is interviewing and engaging an executive search consulting firm to assist it in an extensive national search process for the new Commissioner, which will begin in the next few weeks.

Copyright 2022 KWTX. All rights reserved.