Bob Bowlsby stepping down as Big 12 commissioner

Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby will be stepping down from the position later this year, the conference announced on Tuesday. He had been working with the Big 12 over the past 10 years after being the athletic director for the Iowa Hawkeyes and Stanford Cardinal.

Releasing a statement on the situation, Bowlsby said he has “reached a natural transition point” and will be handing the job off to somebody else. He will remain the commissioner until the Big 12 can find his replacement. From there, Bowlsby will move into a new interim role that he and whoever takes over will agree on in the future.

“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,” said Bowlsby in a statement.

Four members will soon be joining the Big 12 in the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, and UCF Knights. Bowlsby brought them into the conference after the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners announced they would be heading to the SEC. Had those two left, the conference would have been down to eight members. Instead, they get back to their original 12, with some fresh faces joining.

“The Big 12 will soon bring in our four new members and negotiate a new grant of rights and media rights agreements,” Bowlsby said. “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.”

While Bowlsby has been the commissioner of the Big 12, there were 25 team national championships won, with the latest coming last night in the Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team. Only one program, Oklahoma, has been able to crack its way into the College Football Playoff. Additionally, the conference remains the only Power Five one without a win in the playoff.

Someone new will be taking over before the calendar flips over to 2023 as the conference enters a new era. Soon enough, the two Red River rivals will be off with the SEC and a new TV contract will be negotiated. The future of the Big 12 will be at the hands of the next commissioner.