The NCAA is in its 104th year of existence, but it has had only three previous leadership changes – and no two of those have been alike.

 The Association is now looking at its fourth changing of the guard after the September 16 death of President Myles Brand.

The fact that Brand died while in office adds a unique element to this latest transition, but it doesn’t change the basics:

• The NCAA Executive Committee is responsible for conducting the search for the president and, eventually, for selecting that individual.
• In the meantime, the Executive Committee will also make a determination on interim leadership.
• NCAA staff members are not involved in the decisions.
• There is no formal timetable for the search. The Executive Committee does not meet again in person until October 29. 

In the interim, an NCAA senior management team will continue to oversee the operations of the national office. That team includes Bernard Franklin, executive vice president; Jim Isch, senior vice president of administration and chief financial officer; Greg Shaheen, senior vice president for basketball and business strategies; and Wallace Renfro, vice president and senior advisor to the president.

The previous four searches have shared a number of common characteristics but have varied significantly in approach:

Walter Byers to Richard D. Schultz (1986-87): 

Walter Byers, the original NCAA executive director (the term is now “president”), took office October 1, 1951, and held the position for 36 years.

Typical of Byers, his decision to retire was handled with minimal fanfare within the membership. On page 14 of the August 13, 1986, issue of The NCAA News, the final segment of an NCAA Executive Committee wrap-up said: “The committee also approved a suggestion by Executive Director Walter Byers that a plan be developed for selection of an executive director-elect.”

A large advertisement for the vacancy appeared November 17, and a search committee chaired by NCAA Secretary-Treasurer Wilford S. Bailey began its work. They agreed on four candidates, who were featured prominently in the May 6, 1987, issue of the News: John R. Davis, the immediate past president of the Association and associate athletics director at Oregon State University; John W. Ryan, the president of Indiana University, Bloomington, and the original chair of the NCAA Presidents Commission; Harvey W. Schiller, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference; and Richard D. Schultz, athletics director at the University of Virginia.

Representatives from the Presidents Commission (four), Council (three) and Executive Committee (four) gathered in Dallas to interview the candidates on June 4, and Schultz’s selection was announced June 8.

“One of the group said that a properly developed process would cause the best candidate to rise above the others,” said Executive Committee chair Tom Frericks of the University of Dayton. “Last Thursday in Dallas, it was apparent to us that one candidate did stand out.”

Schultz held the position until 1993 when an independent report concluded that he had covered up elements of an infractions case while he was AD at Virginia. The Association began its second leadership transition.

Richard D. Schultz to Cedric W. Dempsey (1993-94): 

Schultz announced his plans to resign on May 11, 1993. He remained in his post until Dempsey assumed office almost eight months later.

By May 24, the Executive Committee had conducted a teleconference to discuss how to accomplish the search. Advertisements were to be placed in The NCAA News (it appeared June 2), the Chronicle of Higher Education and assorted major newspapers. Announcements about the vacancy also were sent to institutional presidents and chancellors, conference commissioners and leaders of higher-education associations. As before, the Executive Committee would be responsible for the hire, with approval required by the NCAA Council and Presidents Commission.

The June 2 News reported that NCAA membership President Joseph N. Crowley had been selected to lead a 12-person search committee, which included seven representatives from the Executive Committee and five from the Presidents Commission.

By June 9, the committee had determined procedures pertaining to timing and individuals who should be involved in the search. Consideration of candidates was to begin by July 15.

Thereafter, a candidate count was faithfully reported in the News. On June 28, it was 126 applicants and 40 nominees. By July 7, it was 135 applicants and 40 nominees. On August 2, it was up to 179 and 60. By the application deadline, the number of applicants stood at 250.

In late June, the search committee announced it had retained the Atlanta-based search firm of Hendrick and Struggles to assist with the search. In addition to assisting with administration, Hendrick and Struggles also would help with reference checks and gathering other necessary information.

The search committee met again August 10, this time narrowing to a “working list” of 25. At its next meeting September 13-14, the committee “focused on 10 to 15 candidates,” although the working list remained at 25.

The search committee next met September 29, at which time it announced that finalists would be interviewed by the Executive Committee, the Presidents Commission executive committee (or its representatives) and the national office’s senior management team.

“We are sensitive to the need to bring the search to a timely conclusion,” Crowley said, “but we don’t want to be hurried.”

On October 22, the search committee announced the finalists: William W. Cobey Jr., a former Congressman, athletics director (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill) and secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environment, Health and Natural Resources; Cedric W. Dempsey, NCAA secretary-treasurer and athletics director at the University of Arizona; Judith M. Sweet, athletics director at the University of San Diego and immediate past-president of the NCAA; and R. Gerald Turner, president of the University of Mississippi and immediate past-chair of the Presidents Commission.

Turner didn’t get the job, but the presence of a president on the short list was a significant foreshadowing.

The finalists were interviewed November 1-2, and on November 5, 1993, Dempsey was announced as the Association’s third executive director.

Cedric W. Dempsey to Myles Brand (2002-03): 

During Dempsey’s administration, the Association’s governance structure was changed and previous nomenclature was torn asunder.

The NCAA Council and Presidents Commission were eliminated, and the Executive Committee was redefined. Until 1997, the Executive Committee was composed of athletics administrators who oversaw business- and competition-related matters; after 1997, it was composed exclusively of institutional presidents who were responsible for overall administration of the Association. Also, the Association’s chief executive became known as president (rather than executive director) in 1998.

Dempsey’s retirement announcement came January 15, 2002, at the conclusion of the Association’s 96th annual Convention in Indianapolis.

“We knew Ced’s retirement could be a possibility a year ago,” said Executive Committee chair Bob Lawless. “We already had planned to consider a search in April 2002. I don’t think we’ll be lacking for people interested in the job. We won’t have to beat the bushes, and we should be able to conclude our search in the fall.”

Lawless headed the search, which was accomplished with significantly less updating than the one that resulted in Dempsey’s hire.

An article in the April 1 issue of the News advised the membership that the search had begun with the “preliminary identification” of a search firm – Baker-Parker and Associates of Atlanta. The members of the search committee also were revealed: Lawless; Brit Kirwan, president of Ohio State University; Patricia Cormier, president of Longwood University; and Bette Landman, president of Arcadia University. California State University, Fullerton, President Milton Gordon was added later.

All were members of the Executive Committee, which would be solely responsible for the hire.

“We’re looking for an individual with administrative and athletics experience who has that passion and a record of accomplishments to provide the leadership necessary to confront the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities of the future,” Lawless said.

Baker-Parker was officially identified in May, and a November 1 deadline was established for identifying the new president. The committee was to reduce the field to 10 to 15 candidates by August, followed by a further reduction to six to 10 candidates.  

An “advertising campaign” was to begin in May. As for membership notification, the committee developed a position specification and posted it on the Association’s Web site.

“Clearly, one of the NCAA’s highest priorities is the welfare of student-athletes,” Lawless said. “Obviously, that will have to be one of the primary focuses for whomever we select.”

From that point, news about the search went silent.

Five months passed before another word appeared in the News. Finally, an article in the September 30 News assured the membership that the search committee was on track to meet its November deadline. The article also addressed the search committee’s desire for secrecy: “Lawless said that if potential finalists were to be leaked, some might feel they would have no choice but to withdraw from consideration in order to protect their present situations. Because of that, Lawless said, an announcement of finalists – before the president is named or after – is unlikely.”

The committee was good to its word.

On October 10, three finalists were brought to the national office in Indianapolis. They entered through the rear of the building, and non-involved staff was denied access to that section of the facility. The names of the other finalists were never revealed publicly.

At 5 p.m., Lawless gathered the staff in the Walter Byers Auditorium and announced the selection: Myles Brand, president of Indiana University, Bloomington. He assumed his new role January 1, 2003.