Pac-10 commissioner Hansen to serve one more year

Jun 10, 2008 - 1:44 AM WALNUT CREEK, California (Ticker) -- Pac-10 Conference commissioner Tom Hansen on Monday announced he will retire, effective on July 1, 2009, marking the second change in the hierarchy of college sports in less than a week.

At that point, Hansen would become the longest-tenured commissioner of a Football Bowl Subdivision conference after 26 years on the job. He also served seven years as director of public relations for the league, giving him a total of 33 years of service to the conference.

"It has been a unique opportunity and an honor to be associated with the 10 outstanding institutions of higher education which comprise the Pac-10 Conference," Hansen said. "It has been a privilege to collaborate on advancing the conference's interests with the chief executive officers, faculty athletics representatives, directors of athletics, senior women administrators, coaches and other staff members of the member institutions.

"Each is outstanding in his or her role, and together make the conference eminently successful, academically and athletically."

Hansen will join Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese, who announced last Thursday he will step down in June 2009.

The Pac-10 has been extremely successful during Hansen's tenure, amassing 204 NCAA championships. Hansen also helped cultivate expansion of the conference's football and basketball television programs and the development of the league's women's sports.