Content about Dan Beebe
I had an entire column planned out for this week’s issue about how Texas’ “run-first” identity is an advantange in such a pass-happy conference like the Big 12. I was going to write it until I sat down and read this headline on ESPN.com — “Idaho clears Boise State to join Big East.” Then my jaw proceeded to drop to the floor.
For those of you who are keeping count, Boise, Idaho, is 2,249 miles away from Big East headquarters in Providence, RI.
Dan Beebe | Ex Big 12 Comissioner
DALLAS — If it were all about maximizing revenue, the Big 12 as it had existed until two years ago may have been saved, said former Big 12 commissioner Dan Beebe.
“If they had done what I had advocated for two years ago, then I don’t think any of the institutions, including Nebraska or Colorado would have had any reason to cite the reasons they did to leave,” Beebe said.
On September 22, 2011, Dan Beebe stepped down from his position — which he had held for four years — as Big 12 Commissioner. On Tuesday, 79-year-old Chuck Neinas, a veteran in the world of college sports, will officially assume the title as interim commissioner of the Big 12 Conference.
The Board of Regents gave President William Powers Jr. the authority Monday to make any necessary decisions to align the University with the sports conference that will best suit its future needs. Since Texas A&M signaled that it will leave the conference next year, the Big 12 has started to look more like the Nervous 9, as it fired commissioner Dan Beebe on Thursday. Indeed, the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University are courting other conferences, while Baylor is publicly threatening to sue to keep the conference together. The mood is chaotic.
Well, the Big 12 is going to stay alive, but Dan Beebe’s time as conference commissioner has come to an end.
Beebe fell on the sword for the Big 12 on Thursday, stepping down as commissioner in order to appease Oklahoma University, which said it would remain in the conference as long as there was a new commissioner in charge.
Never has college football seen such a whirlwind in conference realignment. Yes, beloved conferences have been disbanded over the years, such as the classic Southwest Conference (1914-1996), but nothing at this accelerated pace. Last year, Nebraska and Colorado bid farewell to the Big 12, and now the conference is on the brink of extinction with Texas A&M’s imminent departure.
Just days before the 2011 season officially begins, the Longhorns have already suffered a tremendous loss.
Texas A&M is officially leaving, having sent a letter of withdrawal to Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe on Wednesday. Conference prestige and the state’s best rivalry will follow the Aggies out the door, gone for good.
The Big 12 is nearly 18 — about as old as the freshman class that stepped on to the Forty Acres this fall. If it were an incoming college student, it seems like it would flunk out before making it to its sophomore year.
Texas A&M President R. Bowen Loftin has already said that a departure from the Big 12 would take time.
On Thursday, he announced another step in what many believe is Texas A&M’s steady march to leave the league and, perhaps, join the Southeastern Conference. The school formally notified the Big 12 that it is considering leaving and wants to know the process if it does.
Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe will, yet again, have a lot of explaining to do.
With Texas A&M and Oklahoma threatening to leave the Big 12 for the SEC because of potential recruiting conflicts that may arise with the launch of the Longhorn Network, Beebe will have to answer these colleges’ concerns or possibly watch his conference disintegrate for good.
As the coaches from five Big 12 schools answered questions on day one of Big 12 Media Days, there was one topic that none could avoid — the Longhorn Network. The unprecedented $300 million deal has fans and the media from College Station to Columbia up in arms. But what do the coaches think about the deal?
Texas officials talked with Big 12 athletic directors and presidents this week about the upcoming launch of the Longhorn Network in hopes of calming fears that it gives the Longhorns an unfair advantage over their rivals.
Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Longhorns officials are aware of the concerns among Texas rivals that the 20-year, $300 million network deal struck with ESPN gives them a recruiting advantage and too much power over the rest of the league.
