Roy Kramer, former SEC commissioner who championed BCS system, dead at 96

Former SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer, who became a pioneer for assemblage football's existent playoff structure, has died astatine property 96, the league announced.

Kramer served arsenic the SEC’s commissioner from 1990 to 2002 and made it 1 of the richest conferences successful the federation during his tenure, mostly by negotiating lucrative tv contracts. He began by bringing Arkansas and South Carolina into the league successful 1991 — a tiny preview of the monolithic enlargement that has overrun the athletics and assemblage athletics successful today’s era.

That allowed him to present the SEC rubric game, which added to a increasing fount of media revenue. In Kramer’s last year, the SEC distributed $95.7 cardinal to its 12 subordinate schools, up from $16.3 cardinal successful 1990. In the 2023-24 fiscal year, the SEC distributed $808.4 cardinal — a testament to the exponential maturation successful assemblage sports that Kramer envisioned backmost successful the 1990s.

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Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer speaks during a dedication ceremonial of the Doug Dickey Hall of Fame Plaza astatine the Neyland-Thompson Sports Complex successful Knoxville, Tennessee, connected Friday, Oct. 4, 2019.  (Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel, Knoxville News Sentinel via Imagn Content Services)

Kramer championed the Bowl Championship Series system, which moved assemblage shot distant from its long-held contented of determining a champion done media and coaches’ polls. The strategy was successful spot from 1998 done 2013, until the College Football Playoff was introduced. What primitively began arsenic a four-team playoff replaced the BCS successful 2014 and expanded to 12 teams starting past season.

Kramer insisted the vitriol that stemmed from BCS selections wasn’t a sound connected the strategy itself but alternatively a welcomed byproduct due to the fact that it brought attraction to assemblage football.

The BCS has been "blamed for everything from El Niño to the violent attacks," Kramer joked successful 2002 erstwhile announcing his retirement.

George MacIntyre, left, Vanderbilt caller caput shot coach, shares a infinitesimal with Athletic Director Roy Kramer aft Kramer announced McIntyre’s hiring during the halftime of the Vanderbilt hoops crippled with Citadel astatine Memorial Gym connected Dec. 4, 1978. (Robert Johnson/The Tennessean)

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"Roy Kramer volition beryllium remembered for his resoluteness done challenging times, his willingness to innovate successful an manufacture driven by tradition, and his unwavering content successful the worth of student-athletes and education," existent SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said.

Born Roy Foster Kramer successful Maryville, Tennessee, connected Oct. 30, 1929, helium earned a bachelor’s grade from Maryville College, wherever helium was a shot lineman and wrestler. Kramer earned a master’s grade astatine the University of Michigan and served 3 years successful the Army during the Korean War. He died successful Vonore, Tennessee.

Former SEC commissioner Roy Kramer speaks to the property anterior to the SEC Championship assemblage shot crippled betwixt the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida Gators astatine Georgia Dome.  (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)

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He coached shot astatine 5 precocious schools successful Michigan earlier being named adjunct manager astatine Central Michigan successful 1965 and past caput manager successful 1967. Kramer was named the 1974 nationalist manager of the twelvemonth aft starring Central Michigan to the Division II nationalist title and went 83-32-2 implicit 11 seasons successful complaint of the Chippewas. He ended his coaching vocation successful 1978 erstwhile helium became diversion manager astatine Vanderbilt, wherever helium served until leaving for the SEC.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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