Big 12 fans. Thank the dear Lord for this

Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg is expected to announce his resignation today to accept a position with the newly forming Big Ten Network.

Kevin Weiberg
Courtesy/Big 12 Conference
Commissioner Kevin Weiberg is expected to step down from his position with the Big 12 to take a job with the newly forming Big Ten Network.

Weiberg is the second commissioner in Big 12 history, having replaced Steve Hatchell in October 1998. During his time as the conference's leader, Weiberg, an Anthony native and Kansas State graduate, also has served as coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series, a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee and chairman of the Division I-A Collegiate Commissioners' Association.

Under his leadership, the amount of income distributed by the Big 12 to its member schools soared from $64 million in 1999 to $106 million this year.

The move is a change of professional direction for Weiberg, 50, taking him away from day-to-day involvement with conference operations and into the fast-changing landscape of sports television. The Big Ten last year became the first college league to form its own TV network, which ostensibly will offer increased exposure to all 11 of its member schools.

In leaving the Big 12, Weiberg also returns to the conference where he worked for nearly a decade before joining the Big 12. He began as associate commissioner and chief operations officer and subsequently was promoted to deputy commissioner.

Weiberg this spring was instrumental in negotiating a new contract between the Big 12 and ABC/ESPN that is believed to pay the conference more than $450 million over eight years beginning with the 2008-09 academic year.

But Big 12 leaders stopped short of forming their own dedicated network, in part because the revenue-sharing framework written into conference bylaws places a premium on more attractive games played by higher-profile programs.

The Big Ten distributes all revenue equally.

"I think in television, to me, moving toward a more equal revenue-sharing structure sets a much better tone for a conference, because it kinda gets you out of the mindset of thinking about what a television appearance does for me personally and you begin thinking about how you grow the whole in a more significant way to benefit everyone," Weiberg told The Capital-Journal at last month's Big 12 spring meetings in Colorado Springs. "That's why I've always been a champion of it. I think someone, as we've spoken about this in our private meetings, as accused me of being infected by the Big Ten idea on this because I worked there for a while, and I guess I'll confess to that. I think, in some regards, that model is a better model."

Weiberg began his career in 1979 as sports information director at Wayne State in Nebraska. He moved to Wichita State University in 1980, serving in various administrative posts until 1987, when he became associate athletic director at Maryland.

Weiberg, who is under contract with the Big 12 through 2010, is expected to announce his resignation at a news conference today.