Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby Announces Plans to Step Away

When BYU joins the Big 12, a new commission of the conference could be leading the way

On Tuesday, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby announced that he will be stepping away from his role as Commissioner later this year "after a decade of leading the league and securing its long-term future as one of the five major collegiate athletics conferences." Bowlsby was appointed Commissioner of the Big 12 back in 2012. He was the Commissioner when the Big 12 explored expansion in 2016 before deciding against it, and he was the commissioner that helped the Big 12 invite BYU, Houston, UCF, and Cincinnati to join the conference.

He will remain Commissioner of the Big 12 "until the appointment of a new Commissioner. By the time BYU is competing as a member of the Big 12, the Big 12 could have a new Commissioner in place.

“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,” Bowlsby said in the official press release.

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

Bowlsby's Legacy from a BYU Perspective

Before BYU was invited to the Big 12 last September, Bob Bowlsby was viewed as the Commissioner that closed the door on BYU in 2016. But his legacy (at least from the perspective of BYU fans) took an 180 degree turn when BYU was invited to join the conference on September 10, 2021. Commissioner Bowlsby will forever be remembered by BYU fans as the Big 12 Commissioner that invited BYU to join the Big 12.  

Nationally speaking, Bob Bowlsby will be remembered as the Commissioner that weathered the storm when the Big 12 lost Texas A&M, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri, and then again when Texas and Oklahoma bolted for the SEC. He kept the Big 12 alive against all odds.

In the end, BYU's relationship with Bowlsby resulted in an invitation to join a Power Five conference. And for that reason, Bob Bowlsby will forever be remembered in Provo.