Friday morning delivered some rather unexpected news in the world of college sports, as the Big 12 Conference suddenly is looking for a new commissioner.
Brett Yormark, who has held the position for the past 4.5 years, announced his resignation through the league office, which noted that he will work through January before taking an undisclosed new position outside of the world of college athletics.
Yormark, 60, was a bit of a wildcard in the college sports world, often leading the Big 12 down paths that no one else had traveled. In part, to maximize any and all revenue opportunities he could find. And in part to show the world that the Big 12, despite not being associated directly with the SEC and Big Ten, was still a major player in the college athletics landscape.
Some of his ideas hit. Some missed. But there was never any questioning why he did what he did or where the ideas came from. Yormark’s goal was always to leverage the conference in the highest possible position and to make as much money as possible, moving the Big 12 forward fast and furious in the new era of college athletics.
He did exactly what he came to do and did so with the kind of bravado that the Big 12 needed in a time of great uncertainty for the league’s survival.
Early on, taking over less than a year after power brands Oklahoma and Texas announced they were leaving the conference, Yormark was proactive in his response to those departures and moved the conference forward with his unwavering spirit that the Big 12 was still the place to be.
That brought interest from other schools — big brands that reshaped the conference and moved the Big 12 into all four U.S. time zones — and therefore stabilized the conference while it seemed inevitable that the new landscape of Power 4 conferences had room for the Big 12 or the Pac-12 but not both.
The Big 12 survived, the Pac-12 is a shell of its former self and, with Yormark leading the charge, the Big 12 continued to fight for space and dollars in the college athletics market, caring little about the big-man-on-campus mindset of the SEC and Big Ten.
Yormark wasn’t for everyone. And he certainly had his critics, both for the business he conducted and the way he carried himself in doing so. But it’s impossible to say that he was anything other than a massive success for the conference and the man who saved the Big 12.
"Speaking on behalf of all of the Big 12 Presidents, we thank Brett for shepherding this great conference through an extraordinary period in college athletics," KU Chancellor Douglas Girod, who currently chairs the Big 12 Board of Directors, said in a statement released by the conference on Friday. "When Brett arrived, we were at a crossroads in the Big 12 and as a college sports enterprise. Brett's vision, business acumen, and confidence put us on the path we find ourselves on today. He leveraged traditional and non-traditional avenues in the college space, solidifying the Big 12 Conference's future. We are appreciative of his leadership, wish he and his family well, and look forward to building upon the strong foundation he helped put in place."
Therein lies the million-dollar question — or maybe multi-million is more accurate. Who’s next?
Will the conference seek out another Yormark, a mover and a shaker with a big voice and bold visions? Or will the Big 12, now that it far more stable than it was when Yormark took over, look to move back to the bio of a more traditional conference commissioner, with years of service in college athletics and decades of experience in the job.
Perhaps the answer is that they’ll identify someone who brings a little bit of both, a little Yormark and a little Bob Bowlsby, who preceded him in the position.
At this point, it’s hard to even guess who some top candidates might be. But you can bet that there will be interest in the position, both from those tied into college athletics and, most likely, from leaders outside of college sports, with more experience in entertainment, music and the like.
That’s where both Yormark and former Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff came from, and others in that space have at least kicked the tires on getting involved in college athletics in recent years.
Remember, the whole thing is about money these days. More than ever. That’s what the two industries have in common and why crossover is possible.
And that’s why the list of Yormark replacements could be a pretty interesting one when it starts to form.
