Foley applauds Slive as a visionary leader; SEC Commissioner to retire in July
Tuesday, October 14, 2014 | Football, Soccer, Scott Carter
SEC Commissioner Mike Slive will retire in July after 13 years. (Photo: CBSSports.com file)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Jeremy Foley had already been in charge of Florida's athletic department for a decade by the time Mike Slive took over as commissioner of the Southeastern Conference in 2002.
A lot has happened for the Gators – and the SEC – since then.
While the Gators' football program won two of the unprecedented seven consecutive national championships SEC schools won from 2006-12, the SEC grew into such a force in college athletics under Slive's direction that it now has its own TV network, which launched in August.
The SEC announced Tuesday that Slive will retire in July.
As the conference's longest-tenured AD, Foley is well aware of the impact Slive made when he took the job after serving as the first commissioner of Conference USA from 1995-2002.
“Mike possesses all of the qualities of a great leader – visionary, consensus builder, integrity, intuition and commitment, but more than anything he is a great friend to so many of us in this league,'' Foley said. “He's led this conference to historical milestones during his tenure and the impact he's had on collegiate athletics management and structure will be felt for many years. I look forward to working with him during his final year and in his future role as a consultant to the league.”
According to the SEC's announcement, Slive will serve in the role of consultant to the conference for four years following his retirement.
