Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany has been named the "most influential" person in college sports, according to a panel of 12 people "inside college sports," according to Jon Solomon of CBSSPORTS.com. Delany was the "only person named on every ballot" of the survey. The recent additions of Rutgers and Maryland "put the Big Ten into new markets for recruiting and TV purposes," and long before conference TV nets "became the rage, Delany created the Big Ten Network, which is printing money for its schools." All eyes nationally "are on the windfall Delany is sure to land when the Big Ten's media rights deals with ESPN/ABC and CBS expire" after the '16-17 academic year. Delany also has "pushed the idea of freshman ineligibility." Solomon, who also penned a deeper profile of Delany, wrote, "You may agree or disagree with Delany. But you always pay attention to him -- and that's influence." Below is a chart of the 25 most influential people in college sports, as voted on by the ADs, media members, consultants and others with ties to the industry (CBSSPORTS.com, 7/9).
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MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN COLLEGE SPORTS
|
| RANK |
NAME |
| 1 |
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany |
| 2 |
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey |
| 3 |
Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby |
| 4 |
U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken |
| 5 |
NCAA President Mark Emmert |
| 6 |
Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott |
| 7 |
Attorney Jeffrey Kessler |
| 8 |
Former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive |
| 9 |
NCAA Exec VP/Regulatory Affairs Oliver Luck |
| 10 |
CFP Exec Dir Bill Hancock |
| T11 |
Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski |
| T11 |
Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer |
| 13 |
ACC Commissioner John Swofford |
| T14 |
Arkansas AD and CFP Selection Committee Chair Jeff Long |
| T14 |
CAA Sports agent Jimmy Sexton |
| 16 |
Alabama football coach Nick Saban |
| 17 |
Kansas State President Kirk Schulz |
| 18 |
Nike co-Founder & Chair Phil Knight |
| 19 |
Attorney Michael Hausfeld |
| 20 |
Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick |
| 21 |
NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline |
| T22 |
Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank |
| T22 |
Northwestern AD Jim Phillips |
| T22 |
South Carolina President Harris Pastides |
| 25 |
NCAA Chief Legal Officer Donald Remy |
