Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany to Step Down in June 2020

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany will end his term in 2020, leaving a post he has held since 1989.

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany will be retiring at the conclusion of his contract in June 2020, the conference announced Monday.

"It’s been an amazing opportunity to serve and lead these preeminent institutions, presidents, administrators, coaches and students," Delany said.

Delany, by far the longest-serving commissioner at a Power 5 conference, has been Big Ten Commissioner since 1989. Delany played basketball and attended law school at North Carolina. After a spell working for the NCAA, he moved on to become the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner before getting the top job at the Big Ten. 

During his tenure, the Big Ten added Penn State (1990), Nebraska (2011), Maryland (2014) and Rutgers (2014), expanding to its present total of 14 members. Delany was also influential in launching the Big Ten Network in 2007, the first television network for a Power 5 conference. BTN has since become a success, with revenue distribution topping $50 million per school in 2018. In the 2010s, Delany initially advocated against the creation of the College Football Playoff, but has since become an advocate of Playoff expansion. 

The search process for a new commissioner will be led by Northwestern President Morton Schapiro, with the assistance of consulting company Korn Ferry.