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Search for the new Big-12 Commish

By VoxMediaUser117325

As many readers already know, Big 12 Commissioner Kevin Weiberg resigned to go make rich at the Big Ten Network. Official rationale: "Parts of the routine were bothering me more than they used to."

Let the search and speculation begin, presented first by Chip Brown at DMN who says we might go in a different direction. Weiberg was, apparently, a uniter who lead quietly yet effectively:

"He really, I think, pulled the conference together and stabilized a lot of things within the conference," Texas Tech athletic director Gerald Myers said. "It's definitely a stronger, better conference after his time as commissioner."
Similar sentiments echoed by Nebraska Chancellor Harvey Perlman, with Weiberg's "critics" represented by now irrelevant (to the Big-12) Billy Gillespie:
Gillispie, now at Kentucky, all but accused Weiberg of not having the swagger to get a fifth Big 12 team into the NCAA Tournament last season. Even if Gillispie's charge was misguided, there was a perception that Weiberg was bright but not bold.
So who's next? Chip lists eight names but gives quality time to just one, highlighted below:
Name  Affiliation  
Britton Banowsky  Conference USA commissioner  
Dan Beebe  senior associate commissioner of the Big 12  
Karl Benson  Western Athletic Conference commissioner  
Rick Chryst  Mid-American Conference commissioner  
Bill Hancock  Bowl Championship Series administrator  
Craig Thompson  Mountain West commissioner  
Brad Traviola  assistant commissioner of the Big Ten  
Mark Womack  Executive associate commissioner of the Southeastern Conference
Beebe is apparently the antithesis of Weiberg. Among the gushing praise for him as the future Commish comes this:
"Dan's a former rugby player," Kansas athletic director Lew Perkins said. "Need I say more?..."
Well shoot, I guess not.

To Dan Beebe's credit the article does more specifically address why he might be a good leader, with continued endorsement by K-State AD Ken Weiser, who was also a personal fan of Kevin Weiberg. Beebe sounds like a no-nonsense candidate who isn't afraid to make aggressive decisions. Maybe that's what we need.

Since the list is largely foreign to me, I invite readers to comment on any candidates that leap off the page at them.

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