Skip to main content

OVC Commissioner resigns


Dan Beebe, who has served as Commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference since 1989, has resigned to accept a position as Associate Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer of the Big 12 Conference.

The announcement was made by Dr. Kenneth Dobbins, President of Southeast Missouri State University and President of the OVC Presidents Council.

"The Ohio Valley Conference has been strengthened tremendously under Dan Beebe's leadership," said Dobbins. "His many major accomplishments, including conference expansion and increasing television visibility, have been a benefit to all of the men's and women's programs in our league. In addition, Dan has ensured that the OVC was on the cutting edge in terms of sportsmanship, and he has represented the conference well on NCAA national committees. "

In his more than 13 years at the helm of the OVC, Beebe guided the nation's eighth-oldest Division I conference to a position of national prominence. In addition to adding five new members during his tenure (Southeast Missouri, 1991; Tennessee-Martin, 1992; Eastern Illinois, 1996; Jacksonville State, 2003; and Samford, 2003), Beebe also increased the league's exposure by negotiating multi-year television packages for football and basketball with ESPN and Fox Sports Net.

Beebe was instrumental in helping the OVC host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 2000 and helping the conference secure a bid to host the first and second rounds again in 2005. He improved the experience of the league's student-athletes by moving several conference championships to neutral sites in larger media markets.

He has also enhanced the reputation of the OVC by taking strong positions on sportsmanship and fair play. Under his leadership, the league developed and adopted a landmark sportsmanship policy, and he oversaw its implementation. During his tenure at the OVC, Beebe has been selected to serve on some of the NCAA's most prestigious committees. He is in his third year as a member of the important NCAA Management Council, serving as chair of the Council's I-AA Governance Committee and on other Council subcommittees. He previously served on the Nominating, Professional Sports Liaison, Athletics Certification, Football Issues and I-AA Football Committees.

Beebe earned a bachelor of science degree in social science from Cal Poly Pomona in 1979 and graduated from the University of California law school in 1982.

He served as NCAA Director of Enforcement from 1987-89, after working one year as assistant director of athletics at Wichita State in 1986. He had previously served as an NCAA enforcement representative from 1982-86.