"We're delighted to have Mike Slive join the Southeastern Conference
and serve as its Commissioner," said Dr. John White, Chancellor of the
University of Arkansas and President of the SEC. "We think that Mike will
build on the success that the SEC enjoyed under Roy Kramer. Mike is
familiar with the league and he has been active on NCAA committees. He will
bring the same level of commitment to excellence that Commissioner Kramer
has done the past 12 years. We're excited about what Mike will be able to
do working with the presidents and chancellors, athletics directors and
coaches of the SEC in the league's continuing efforts to be the premier
athletic conference in the nation."
Slive was selected by the chief executive officers of the 12
Southeastern Conference institutions. He is scheduled to begin his duties
as SEC Commissioner on August 1, 2002.
Dr. Charles B. Knapp, a senior partner with Heidrick & Struggles,
led the team that conducted the search. Heidrick & Struggles is a premiere
global provider of executive level search and leadership consulting
services.
"It is an honor and privilege to be selected as the seventh
Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference - the finest athletic conference
in the country," said Slive. "I am grateful for the opportunity to work
with the presidents and chancellors, athletics directors and coaches to
build on the conferences' past successes to meet the challenges of the
future and to continue the conferences' winning traditions both on the field
and in the classroom."
Slive has served on various NCAA boards and committees. Presently,
Slive is the chair of the first NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee and the
National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee. He is also chair of the Board
of Directors of NCAA Football USA and is the President of the Collegiate
Commissioners Association (CCA). Last month, he was named to the Executive
Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
(NACDA) and also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Marquette Sports Law
Institute.
Slive was also on the NCAA Management Council from 1997-2002,
serving on the Membership Subcommittee and the Subcommittee to Review
Automatic Qualification.
University of Florida Director of Athletics Jeremy Foley commented,
"I think it is an outstanding choice. I've known Mike for 15 years and he
has tremendous leadership skills. He is a consensus builder and I think he
is very capable of keeping this conference among the nation's elite."
The 61-year old Slive has also served on the Board of Directors of
the Sports Lawyers Association from 1997-2001 and was chair of the Division
I-A Commissioners from 1999-2001. He also was a member of the NCAA Division
I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues in 1998-99.
This summer, Slive was named by President Bush to the Commission of
Athletic Opportunity, that will review the workings of Title IX. He is one
of 15 panelists that consists of former and current athletes, athletic and
academic administrators and college professors from around the nation.
Slive was the first-ever Commissioner of Conference USA when the
league was formed on April 24, 1995. He was also Commissioner of the Great
Midwest Conference when that league was formed in 1991.
His previous athletic administrative experiences include: assistant
director of athletics at Dartmouth College (1968-69), assistant Executive
Director of the Pacific-10 Conference (1979-81), and Director of Athletics
at Cornell University (1981-83), prior to developing his sports practice
specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletic-related
matters.
During his time as Commissioner of Conference USA, the league,
enjoyed prominent national television exposure, NCAA automatic
qualifications and major bowl tie-ins, including becoming a member of the
Bowl Championship Series.
"The SEC's lucky to get him, he's a great leader," said Tom Jurich, Athletics Director for the University of Louisville. “He can help them (SEC)
through tumultuous times. He's got the background for it. We're going to
miss him. He did a phenomenal job leading us (C-USA) from infancy to where
it is now. This conference was a diverse package, and he's done a great job
of bringing everyone together."
Slive's leadership has translated into valuable national television
exposure for Conference USA with television partner ESPN Inc., as well as
appearances on ABC and CBS. C-USA also developed a syndicated television
network for women's and olympic sports.
The league's championship competition is enhanced by NCAA automatic
bids in volleyball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's
tennis and men's and women's basketball. In football, along with being a
member of the BCS, C-USA sends its regular season champion to the AXA
Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., and teams to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala.,
the Houston (Texas) Bowl, the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu and the New Orleans
(La.) Bowl.
Slive's efforts have been instrumental in expanding the league's
membership. East Carolina joined football competition in 1997, Army in 1998
and UAB in 1999, while South Florida will compete in football in 2003. ECU
and TCU were recently added as members for all sports beginning last season.
Slive's guidance has also been beneficial for the league on a
national level as one of three C-USA representatives on the NCAA Management
Council.
Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford has worked with Slive in the past.
"Congratulations to the Southeastern Conference on an excellent hire,” Swofford said. “Mike
is a proven entity and very highly respected in the world of college
athletics. His integrity and capabilities will serve him and the SEC well.
I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new role."
A native of Utica, N.Y., Slive was senior partner and founder of the
Mike Slive-Mike Glazier Sports Group. Prior to the formation of the
Slive-Glazier Sports Group in 1990, Slive was a partner in the Chicago law
firm of Coffield Ungaretti Harris & Slavin. He operated his own practice in
Hanover, N.H., and served as judge of the Hanover District Court from
1972-77.
Slive graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1962. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law
School in 1965 and an LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1966.
Slive and his wife, Elizabeth, are the parents of a daughter, Anna.
The Slive family resides in Chicago.