Chryst to Depart MAC at Close of 10-Year Term
Mid-American Conference Commissioner Rick Chryst announced today that he will be leaving the conference at the completion of his current contract, which concludes on June 30.
Jan 30, 2009
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“I have been privileged to serve an outstanding group of institutions, administrators and student-athletes during a time of unprecedented achievement for the MAC,” said Chryst. “The conference stands for all of the best values – academically and athletically – in major college athletics, and I truly believe it is firmly positioned to sustain its competitiveness for a long time to come.
“The time is right for me, both personally and professionally, to make a move, and I look forward to working with the leadership of the conference on a smooth transition,” said Chryst.
The last decade at the MAC has been highlighted by the significant growth of its football programs, solidifying their inclusion in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) and the Bowl Championship Series arrangement, and the elevation of many of the MAC’s 23 championship events – most notably, the very successful First Energy MAC Tournament in Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena and the Marathon MAC Football Championship at Ford Field in Detroit. The conference’s founding role in establishing the popular BracketBusters college basketball series on ESPN is also noteworthy.
"On behalf of the MAC presidents, we express our sincere gratitude to Rick for his years of service, dedication and many valued contributions to the significant growth and development of our conference,” said Michael Rao, Mid-American Conference chairman and
Foundational to the MAC’s growth has been a dramatic increase in television exposure at a national, regional and local level, fueled primarily by the league’s extensive relationship with ESPN since 1999. A new eight-year agreement for football, men’s and women’s basketball, through 2016-17, guarantees the conference a minimum of 25 events annually on one of ESPN’s network platforms and solidifies the long-term television future for the MAC.
In particular, the resurgence of MAC football, which had faced serious questions about its future as a NCAA Division I-A conference, has been dramatic in the last ten years. Since 1999, the following highlights are significant:
1. Thirty-eight (38) non-conference wins over schools from BCS automatic-qualifying conferences, and seven wins over nationally-ranked teams (only 15 total in MAC history). The four victories over Big Ten teams in 2008 were an all-time high for the conference;
2. Forty-seven (47) home football games versus twenty-six different schools from BCS automatic-qualifying conferences, more than four times the number that occurred in the previous decade;
3. A total of 27 bowl appearances in the last decade, nearly equaling the all-time number of 33 bowls in which the MAC had participated in the prior 52 years (1947-1998). Eleven (11) different MAC schools have played in a bowl within the last five years;
4. Seventy-two (72) NFL draft picks in the past 10 years, more than were selected from the MAC in the previous 20 years, including 14 selected in either the first or second round; and,
5. MAC football programs continuing to lead the nation in graduation rates for public institutions, as the MAC is the only one of the eleven Football Bowl Subdivision conferences to have more than half of its schools graduating football student-athletes at a rate of 70% or better.
Chryst, who oversaw the move of the conference office from Toledo to Cleveland in 1999, served on numerous national committees during his tenure at the MAC, including Chair of the Division I-A commissioners from 2003-05 and President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association from 2005-07.
The Mid-American Conference has retained Parker Executive Search Firm to conduct a national search for Chryst’s successor. Interested candidates and those who wish to offer nominations are requested to contact Daniel F. Parker, Sr., President, Parker Executive Search,
Media Contact:
Gary Richter
Asst. Commissioner/Media Relations
(216) 566-4622 x 301
