The Pac-12 Conference announces that Commissioner Larry Scott has completed his term as Commissioner

Mutual decision reached one year before the end of your contract;

Scott will remain until June this year

SAN FRANCISCO (January 20, 2021) – The Pac-12 Conference announced today that, following ongoing discussions between its executive committee, its presidents and Commissioner Larry Scott, it was mutually agreed that the Commissioner would not seek a new contract. The decision was made well before the end of next year’s contract, in part, to allow a new commissioner to negotiate and maximize the next important conference long-term media rights agreement.

The Conference and Scott decided it was time for new leadership after their 11-year term. Scott’s existing contract is scheduled to expire in June 2022 and it has been agreed that he will remain in office until June 30, 2021 to assist with the transition.

The executive committee of Pac-12, including the president of the University of Oregon, Michael Schill, as president; Kirk H. Schulz, president of Washington State University; and Ana Mari Cauce, president of the University of Washington, will immediately begin a national search for Scott’s replacement as commissioner.

“We appreciate Larry’s pioneering efforts in growing the conference, adding new competitive university programs and accelerating the Pac-12 to parity the television network with other conferences,” said Schill. “At one point, our television deal was the most profitable in the country, and the debut of the Pac-12 Network helped deliver our champion brand to the United States and global markets on traditional and digital platforms. That said, the intercollegiate athletics market does not remain static and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our strategy for advancing ”.

Scott, whose current term ends in 2022, said this is the right time for several reasons: “I have been in professional sport for 20 years, I have been in college athletics for more than 10 years and now is a great time in my life to seek other interesting opportunities. Right now, when university athletics is moving in a new direction and with the Conference soon beginning the next round of negotiations with the media, it seems like the right time to make a change. It is important that the conference can indicate the person who will negotiate and execute the next agreement. Based on the recent robust assessment and market interest we have received from traditional and non-traditional media organizations, I am confident that the conference is well positioned for continued success. I am grateful for the support of the member institutions of Pac-12 and a very talented team, with whom I was privileged to work. “

Commissioner Scott will leave a significant mark on Pac-12. It was during the 2010-11 academic year that Scott helped deliver changes that transformed the Conference into a modern 12-team league. In addition to expanding to 12 teams, member institutions agreed to share the same revenue for the first time in the history of the Conference, created two football divisions – the North Division and the South Division – and established a Football Championship for the first time. Scott also secured important media rights agreements with ESPN and FOX that dramatically increased national exposure and revenue for each school, in addition to establishing Pac-12 Networks that ensured enhanced exposure across all sports.

Another area of ​​continuity that both Pac-12 and member institutions will prioritize in the search for Scott’s successor will be the continuity of positive graduation rates for student-athletes at the Conference. President Schill cited the Conference’s improvements in graduation rates as measured by the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR). With 90% of NCAA Division I student-athletes achieving graduation during the measured period, the Pac-12 experienced improvements throughout the Conference, with some member institutions and athletic programs achieving 100% graduation rates among student-athletes in specific sports programs.

The Pac-12 Conference led or tied the nation in the NCAA Championship in 54 of the past 60 years, with exceptions no less than a third. Under Commissioner Scott, the Conference also premiered its Pac-12 Impact program using the power of sport to promote a culture of diversity and inclusion. He also played a leading role with his Student Athlete Health and Wellness Initiative, which is doing innovative research in injury prevention, brain trauma and mental health. Other milestones of achievement between Commissioner Scott, the Pac-12 Conference and member institutions can be found below.

About the Pac-12 Conference

• His entrepreneurial approach to the Conference broadcast rights helped to lay the groundwork for a strong assessment of these rights in the next round of negotiations. This approach included record Tier I rights revenue, exposure to non-profit sports, innovative digital media, equal sharing between schools and the grouping of all Conference media rights in one package. The key to achieving these goals was the creation of Pac-12 Networks, the first television network fully controlled by a collegiate conference and whose objectives went beyond generating revenue to emphasize exposure to women’s and Olympic sports.

• These innovations, along with the ones below, boosted Conference revenue from approximately $ 100 million to approximately $ 500 million per year.

• Two schools were added (Colorado and Utah), allowing the creation of a football championship game, expanding the conference’s footprint and visibility.

• It has adopted a new logo and identity built around its West Coast culture and embraces the innovation that modernized the Conference and helped maintain its role as the Conference of Champions by winning 104 NCAA Championships in the past decade.

• He used his West Coast identity to launch a major initiative in Asia, especially focused on China, including an annual regular season basketball game in China and an important strategic alliance with Alibaba.

• It placed a strong focus on student-athlete health and well-being, including research on brain injury prevention and treatment, liberalized transfer rules, efforts to decrease student-athlete time demands and the inclusion of student-athletes in governance of the Conference.

• Developed comprehensive social justice efforts, including “Pac-12 Impact,” working with our student-athletes to promote education and hiring practices to achieve equality.