SEC extends contract of Commissioner Greg Sankey to 2028

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (July 13, 2023) – Southeastern Convention Commissioner Greg Sankey has agreed to a contract extension that may hold him in his place by way of at the least 2028, the Convention introduced on Thursday.

Sankey’s contract extension, authorized by the Convention’s Presidents and Chancellors, continues a task he started on June 1, 2015, when he grew to become the eighth Commissioner of the SEC.

“Greg Sankey continues to steer the SEC successfully by way of these difficult occasions for faculty athletics,” mentioned College of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead who lately accomplished a two-year time period as President of the SEC. “Below his visionary stewardship and dedication to collaboration amongst our members, the SEC has emerged because the nation’s most secure and profitable athletic convention. As we speak’s announcement displays our enthusiastic endorsement of Greg’s ongoing management of our convention to even larger heights.”

“Throughout a time of nice change in faculty athletics, Greg Sankey has been a constructive pressure for advancing the SEC and a thought-leader throughout the nationwide panorama,” mentioned College of Alabama President Stuart Bell who grew to become President of the SEC this month. “The presidents, chancellors and athletic administrators of our establishments maintain him in nice regard – respect which he has earned by way of his years of wonderful service. I recognize his proactive and collaborative method to management and look ahead to working with him for a few years to return.”

Now in his ninth yr as Commissioner of the SEC, Sankey has successfully launched change and innovation for the convention whereas respecting the institutional traditions that make the SEC distinctive.

“I’m grateful for the continued alternative to serve and help the colleges and student-athletes of the Southeastern Convention and I recognize the arrogance positioned in me by the SEC’s presidents and chancellors,” mentioned SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “I look ahead to working with the leaders of our member universities as we meet the challenges forward for faculty athletics, search to maintain the success of our Convention and fulfill our mission to supply our younger folks with the chance to develop academically and problem themselves by way of elite competitors.”

Within the final three years alone, Sankey has guided the league by way of the COVID-19 pandemic, finalized a milestone 10-year settlement with the Walt Disney Firm that grants ABC and ESPN unique broadcast rights to premier SEC soccer and basketball occasions and facilitated the enlargement of the SEC so as to add the Universities of Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC starting in 2024.

On the nationwide stage, Sankey was tabbed to function co-chair of the NCAA’s Transformation Committee and was instrumental within the enlargement of the Faculty Soccer Playoff from 4 to 12 groups.

The 2022-23 athletic yr was significantly profitable for SEC colleges which recorded eight nationwide championships and positioned essentially the most colleges within the High 25 amongst all conferences within the Learfield IMG Administrators’ Cup all-sports standings.  In all, SEC’s colleges have gained 48 nationwide titles since Sankey grew to become Commissioner in 2015.

Sankey, 58, was appointed Commissioner by the Presidents and Chancellors of the SEC on March 12, 2015.  He first joined the SEC employees in 2002 as Affiliate Commissioner for Governance and later added supervision of the league’s championships employees to his duties.  He was elevated to Government Affiliate Commissioner and Chief Working Officer for the league workplace in 2012, turning into answerable for the day-to-day operation of the SEC Workplace.

Earlier than becoming a member of the SEC, Sankey served as Commissioner of the Southland Convention for almost seven years.  He joined the Southland Convention employees in 1992 the place he served as each assistant and affiliate commissioner earlier than he was named its commissioner in 1996 on the age of 31.

Previous to his time period on the Southland Convention, he was Director of Compliance and Tutorial Providers at Northwestern State College in Natchitoches, LA, in addition to coach of the Demon’s golf groups. Earlier than his tenure at Northwestern State, he was the Director of Intramural Sports activities at Utica Faculty in upstate New York.

A local of Auburn, NY, Sankey earned his grasp’s diploma from Syracuse College and his undergraduate diploma from the State College of New York Faculty at Cortland. Sankey and his spouse, Cathy, reside in Birmingham, AL, and have two grownup daughters, Hannah (and her husband, Rod) and Moriah (and her husband, Austin).