Larry Scott Is On A Mission To Turn Around PAC-10

I had the chance to once again visit with PAC-10 Commissioner Larry Scott this past weekend during the Colorado/Cal football game in Berkeley.  Since he replaced legendary commissioner Tom Hansen a year ago, I have spoken to Scott on a handful occasions—both on and off the air.  From the very beginning, I sensed that he had two clear missions for the conference going forward: to be bigger and better.

It was no secret that Scott’s number one goal for the PAC-10 was to expand the conference by a minimum of two teams so the conference could have the always highly profitable conference championship game (expect an announcement on future division alignments by the end of October).  The implementation of this post-season showcase has led to an influx of hundreds of millions of dollars for the ACC, Big East, Big 12 and SEC over the last few seasons.  What’s good for the goose is good for the gander, right?

foxsportswest.com: Larry Scott Is On A Mission To Turn Around PAC-10

PAC-10 Unveils New Brand and Digital Media Initiatives

--Football Coaches Join Commissioner Scott In New York, L.A. To Usher in New Era--

NEW YORK - At the launch of its first-ever bicoastal Media Tour, Commissioner Larry Scott today unveiled a series of new initiatives designed to reflect an increasingly fan-friendly, innovative future for the Conference of Champions. In addition to presenting the new Pac-10 logo and the most comprehensive branding effort in the history of the Conference, fans were able to experience a new digital initiative which includes streaming video and a new Pac-10.org website with original content.

These initiatives enable the Pac-10 to tell its story more effectively and leverage technology to engage an enlarging fan base as the University of Colorado and the University of Utah prepare to join the Conference. Scott confirmed that the Conference name will officially migrate to Pac-12 once the Buffaloes and Utes actually begin their membership. The new branding and logo already reflect this geographical expansion, depicting the beauty and energy of the West, from the mountains to the ocean, an expanded territory that will include seven of the nation’s top 35 media markets.

The announcements came as the Conference and its current 10 head football coaches were conducting a series of media events, for the first time taking place on both East and West Coasts. The events began with today’s announcements in New York City and will culminate with the annual Pac-10 Media Day in California, which for the first time will be held on the field of the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, Calif. The Rose Bowl portion of the media tour will be streamed live on the internet.

Introducing the initiatives at a New York press conference today, Scott said, “With our universities and students on the cutting edge of innovation and digital media in their research, studies and daily lives, we think it’s appropriate that the Pac-10 lead the way in using these new media and technologies to more effectively bring our competition and stories to our fans.”

While the new website will retain all the things fans have come to expect – schedules, scores, standings – it will now offer video highlights, streaming video, blogs, and other state-of-the-art features. As part of the Conference’s digital initiative, fans and media will also be able to follow this week’s media tour via Twitter (@Pac10), Facebook (www.facebook.com/Pac10) and Flickr.

After the press conference, the league’s 10 head football coaches – Arizona’s Mike Stoops, Arizona State’s Dennis Erickson, California’s Jeff Tedford, Oregon’s Chip Kelly, Oregon State’s Mike Riley, Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh, UCLA’s Rick Neuheisel, USC’s Lane Kiffin, Washington’s Steve Sarkisian and Washington State’s Paul Wulff – had the opportunity to speak one-on-one with key national media.

On Wednesday morning, the coaches and Commissioner Scott begin the day ringing NASDAQ’s opening bell as a new Pac-10 movie trailer runs all week on News Corp’s giant electronic television in the heart of New York City’s Times Square. The live stream of the NASDAQ opening ceremony will be available at the link: www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx.

The group will then travel to Bristol, Conn., to provide interviews and shoot videos at ESPN headquarters.

The three-day tour culminates Thursday, July 29, with the annual media day in Pasadena. The 10 coaches and one student-athlete from each institution will answer questions from the media. The Media Tour caps off with a Hollywood premiere of the new Pac-10 for over 200 guests hosted by the Fox Broadcasting Company on their studio lot.

- www.pac-10.org -

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO JOINS PAC-10

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pacific-10 Conference announced today that the University of Colorado at Boulder has accepted an invitation to join the Conference as it’s 11th member, the first new member since July 1, 1978.

“This is an historic moment for the Conference, as the Pac-10 is poised for tremendous growth.  The University of Colorado is a great fit for the Conference both academically and athletically and we are incredibly excited to welcome Colorado to the Pac-10,” said Commissioner Larry Scott. 

“On behalf of The University of Colorado students, faculty, alumni and fans, we are proud to accept this invitation from the Pac-10 and join the most prestigious academic and athletic conference in the nation, “ said Philip P. DiStefano, chancellor of CU-Boulder.

“The University of Colorado is a perfect match - academically and athletically - with the Pac-10,” said University of Colorado President Bruce D. Benson,  “our achievements and aspirations match those of the universities in the conference and we look forward to a productive relationship.”

Commissioner Scott, Chancellor DiStefano, President Benson, CU Board of Regents Chairman Steve Bosely and CU Athletics Director Mike Bohn and others will hold an official press conference on Friday, June 11, 2010 at 11 a.m. MT at Folsom Field in Boulder, Colo.

Larry Scott Replaces Tom Hansen As PAC-10 Commissioner

Here's the official release from the PAC-10 naming Larry Scott as its new commissioner.

Several names had been rumored over the last few weeks as the eventual replacement for outgoing commissioner Tom Hansen--everyone from Condoleeza Rice to Sandy Alderson.

Scott will certainly have his hands full trying to fill the footsteps of the longest-tenured commissioner in big-time college athletics, who saw the PAC-10 win more than 200 NCAA titles during his reign.

--PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE NAMES LARRY SCOTT COMMISSIONER--

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pacific-10 Conference named Larry Scott, Chairman and CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), its new commissioner, effective July 1, 2009. Scott becomes the sixth commissioner of the Pac-10, succeeding Tom Hansen who is set to retire after 26 years in the role.

Since joining the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour in 2003, Scott has engineered the turnaround of women's professional tennis, increasing the popularity of the sport across the world. A former tennis All-American at Harvard, Scott is credited as the architect behind the largest-ever sponsorship in women's sports, a six-year, $88-million title sponsorship agreement with Sony Ericsson. He also led the WTA in its development of the largest television agreements in women’s tennis history spanning viewership both in the U.S. and abroad.

“While it is difficult to replace a leader like Tom Hansen who has served the conference for more than 26 years, we are extremely pleased with the tremendous response we received to the national search,” said John Hennessy, president of Stanford University and head of the executive committee. “We considered a very impressive group of candidates, and Larry Scott was clearly the most qualified and innovative leader for the Pac-10.”

The Pac-10 dates back to 1915 when four schools - the University of California at Berkeley, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and Oregon State College – formed the conference. Now with 10 member institutions, the Pac-10 ranks first in NCAA Championships with 159 over the past 18 years and has finished with more NCAA titles than any other conference in 42 of the last 48 years, earning titles in more than 26 different men’s and women’s sports.

“I’m excited to pursue this very unique opportunity to be involved in a broad range of men’s and women’s sports at the college level and balancing the priorities of student-athletes with the commercial needs of the conference,” said Scott, who will move from Florida to Northern California. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to apply my broad range of leadership skills in sports management, marketing, effective positioning of an organization to international and national audiences, and being an advocate on behalf of our sports.”

Since the NCAA began conducting women's championships 27 years ago, Pac-10 schools have claimed at least four national titles in a single season on 19 separate occasions. Overall, the Pac-10 has captured 113 NCAA women's crowns, 30 more than any other conference. That said, Scott’s experience in women’s athletics will be especially relevant. Scott is credited with being a vocal and effective advocate for women’s athletes, helping WTA members earn equal pay in major tennis tournaments around the world for the first time in 100 years.

“Our search committee was most impressed with Larry’s broad range of leadership experiences in both men’s and women’s sports, as well as his extensive success in representing the commercial interest of men’s and women’s tennis,” said Bob Bowlsby, athletic director of Stanford and head of the search committee. “He was the architect of a highly-effective turnaround of women’s tennis over the last six years and created a compelling vision that has served the sport and its athletes extremely well. We are also very pleased to bring on such a great advocate for both men’s and women’s sports.”

Under Scott’s leadership, the WTA secured television partnerships with the major US networks and renewed its international television partnership with Eurosport, which broadcasts women's tennis to 54 countries and more than 104 million homes. Scott's career in tennis began as a professional tennis player on the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) circuit, where he played for three years and won one tournament. Scott then spent a decade in leadership and senior management positions within the ATP, serving in the posts of Chief Operating Officer, President of ATP Properties and Executive Vice President of the International Group.