Big 12 Commissioner To Step Away From Role Prior To BYU’s Entrance

Apr 5, 2022, 2:18 PM | Updated: 2:32 pm

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby admits the 2022 spring meetings have some "weirdness" to them. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

(Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

BY KYLE IRELAND

Cougar Sports Saturday Co-Host

SALT LAKE CITY – The Big 12 Conference announced that commissioner Bob Bowlsby plans to step away from his role prior to BYU’s entrance into the league.

The Big 12 shared the news on Tuesday, April 5

Bowlsby will step down from his post as Big 12 commissioner later in 2022.

According to the Big 12’s announcement, Bowlsby will “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.”

BYU will enter the league in 2023.

Bob Bowlsby to Step Away from Role as Big 12 Conference Commissioner Later this Year

📰 https://t.co/zUT43MFW2Z pic.twitter.com/f8Qu1rPRm3

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) April 5, 2022

The Big 12 said that it 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.

Bowlsby shared the following statement about his move:

“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. 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.”

Last year, Bowlsby was tasked with replacing Texas and Oklahoma, who decided to leave the Big 12 and join the Southeastern Conference.

On September 10, 2021, the Big 12 voted to accept four new schools into the conference, including BYU.