SEC commish Slive to step down in July 2015
Mike Slive’s term as SEC commissioner will have run 13 years by the time of his 2015 retirement. (Getty) The SEC and Mike Slive announced Tuesday that he will retire as the league’s commissioner on July 31, 2015, with Slive also revealing he is beginning treatement for “a recurrence of prostate cancer for which he was treated in the late 1990s.”
“I have been blessed in more ways than I can count and I will have as much passion for this job on my last day as I did on my first,” Slive said in the announcement. “I consider my health situation a temporary detour in a remarkable road that has allowed me to meet amazing people, experience incredible events and celebrate historic victories. I will relish my final year in this position and look forward to being the biggest fan of the SEC for many years to come.”
Per the SEC, Slive’s “prognosis is good and he will continue to carry out his responsibilities from the SEC Office and his home office in Birmingham,” though “his travel and appearances may be limited for the near future.”
Slive will continue as a league consultant for four years following his retirement. The SEC said the usual “national search” for Slive’s successor will begin later this year, under the supervision of Vanderbilt chancellor Nick Zeppos.
Slive became the SEC’s commissioner in July 2002 after serving in the same position for Conference USA, replacing the influential Roy Kramer. The SEC won eight BCS championships during Slive’s tenure, including seven straight from 2006-2012, and expanded from 12 teams to 14 with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri in 2012. With the Aggies and Tigers aboard, Slive led the launch of the SEC Network in August 2014.
From the SEC’s announcement:
In all, the SEC has won 67 national championships in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports during Slive’s tenure as SEC Commissioner.
His impact has been felt far beyond the footprint of the SEC. The founding commissioner of two conferences, he was also the founder of a law firm which assisted NCAA institutions in compliance matters, a Director of Athletics and a member of numerous leadership committees during the course of his career. More recently, Slive has helped craft the new College Football Playoff and is a leader in the historic effort to reorganize the NCAA for the purpose of creating a governance structure that provides maximum opportunities for student-athletes.
In August, the league launched the SEC Network, a national network that brings more than 1000 events into the homes and to the mobile devices of college sports fans across the country. These agreements make the league the most widely distributed conference on television in the nation and also secures the financial health of the SEC and its member institutions for years to come.
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