Tag: Kevin Warren

Kevin Warren, who engineered USC-UCLA move, leaves his post as Big Ten Commissioner

Kevin Warren brought USC and UCLA to the #B1G, but he won’t be commish when USC joins the conference in 2024. @TheBearsWire has more on this story.

Kevin Warren was able to pull off the deal which brought USC and UCLA to the Big Ten Conference, but he won’t be the commissioner of the Big Ten when the Trojans and Bruins settle into their new home in 2024.

Bears Wire and the rest of the football world learned that the Chicago Bears have brought aboard Warren as their new president. Warren previously served as an executive with the Minnesota Vikings. He then took over from Jim Delany as the commissioner of the Big Ten.

Warren’s tenure as Big Ten commish was fascinating for many different reasons. His handling of the pandemic in 2020 was met with fierce criticism. The Pac-12 and former commissioner Larry Scott followed the Big Ten’s lead in cancelling their 2020 football season before reversing course. This is why the Big Ten and Pac-12 both had 2020 football seasons which were shorter than their counterparts in the SEC, Big 12, and ACC. Warren did not emerge as a strong figure after that 2020 season. Yet, if he wasn’t a strong figure then, his lack of strength and leverage didn’t last very long.

Warren and Pac-12 Commissioner George Kliavkoff joined the ACC in forming a so-called alliance which had the stated intent of creating alignment in scheduling and other matters, but that alliance was blown up on June 30, 2022, when Warren shocked the college sports world by successfully bringing USC and UCLA to the Big Ten.

Warren leaves the Big Ten before its 2024 scheduling format will be announced for football and men’s basketball. It is an obvious point of interest to see how USC football and basketball is scheduled within the Big Ten’s new 16-team structure, though we know that the Big Ten won’t use the divisional structure it has used the past decade.

Follow our various Big Ten College Wire sites for more on Big Ten football and basketball scheduling.

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Report: Bears cast wide net in search for new president/CEO

The Bears hired Kevin Warren as their new president/CEO. According to The Athletic, the organization looked at the NFL and other leagues.

The Chicago Bears have found a replacement for president and CEO Ted Phillips. The organization has hired Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren to assume Phillips’ duties this spring.

While Warren emerged as a frontrunner for the job a few weeks ago, the Bears did their due diligence when it came to finding Phillips’ replacement.

According to The Athletic, the organization’s search for a new president and CEO cast a wide net that included looks not just at candidates from the NFL but other sports leagues.

The Athletic learned that the Bears cast a wide net. It included candidates from various sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, college athletics and even professional soccer in Europe.

Video conferencing was used, but the Bears narrowed their search in November, and fewer than 10 candidates were invited to Halas Hall for interviews. Fewer than that were brought back for second meetings with the team in December.

Warren boasts 21 years of NFL experience, including 15 season with the Minnesota Vikings, which included playing an instrumental role in the building of U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Bears will introduce Warren as their new president and CEO on Tuesday.

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Breaking: Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren returns to the NFL

The conference will need to find a new leader #GoBucks

When the [autotag]Big Ten[/autotag] hired [autotag]Kevin Warren[/autotag] from the Minnesota Vikings to be the next commissioner replacing legend [autotag]Jim Delaney[/autotag], Warren noted that he wanted to be with the conference for a long time. As the first African-American major collegiate commissioner, the shoes were very big to fill.

However, Warren lasted just three years with the Big Ten, from 2020 through today as he was announced as the next President and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

Warren’s legacy as the conference leader will be looked at with two massive moves. First, how he handled the COVID-19 cancelation of fall football, only to later revert back and play a shortened season. The second was expansion, adding two West coast teams in USC and [autotag]UCLA[/autotag].

The Big Ten will now have to search for their next leader, something they have done just twice since 1989.

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Report: Kevin Warren’s impact with U.S. Bank Stadium was ‘appealing’ for Bears

Kevin Warren’s role in the building of U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota caught the Bears organization’s attention.

The Chicago Bears have hired a new president and CEO in Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, who will be introduced by the organization on Tuesday.

Warren replaces Ted Phillips, who’s retiring after nearly 40 years with the organization. According to the organization, Warren will begin his work this spring.

This move doesn’t come as much of a surprise considering Warren’s name was floated around as a frontrunner a few weeks ago. Warren has 21 years of NFL experience, including 15 years with the Minnesota Vikings. But there was one thing that stood out most about Warren that was enticing for Chicago, as they look to make headway on their Arlington Heights property.

According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Warren’s impact in the development of U.S. Bank Stadium during his time in Minnesota caught the Bears organization’s attention.

Sources told ESPN that Warren’s impact in helping the Vikings build U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016 has been appealing to the Bears, who are also looking to construct a new stadium in the coming years after 50 seasons at Soldier Field. The Bears aim to close on their 326-acre purchase of Arlington Heights during the first quarter of 2023 and unveiled initial plans for the development, which is set to include a domed stadium, last fall.

The Bears are expected to close on the Arlington Heights property in early 2023. They’re already revealed initial plans for the property last September.

Interesting enough, at that same time, Phillips specifically referenced U.S. Bank Stadium as an example of an enclosed stadium that makes you feel like you’re outside.

Warren was certainly brought to Chicago to help build one of the best stadiums in the NFL. And past results speak for themselves.

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Bears release statements after hiring Kevin Warren as president/CEO

The Bears have made it official: Kevin Warren is the franchise’s new president and CEO. Read statements from George McCaskey and more:

The Chicago Bears have hired Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as their new president/CEO.

Warren will replace Ted Phillips, who’s retiring after nearly 40 years with the Bears. Phillips has served as president/CEO since 1999.

Warren is the fifth president in the franchise’s 103-year history, where he follows in the footsteps of George Halas, George “Mugs” Halas Jr., Michael McCaskey and Phillips. Warren is also the Bears’ first Black president in history.

The Bears will introduce Warren as the new president/CEO in a press conference Tuesday at Noon CT.

Here’s what Bears chairman George McCaskey, GM Ryan Poles, Phillips and Warren himself had to say following the official announcement:

Report: Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is headed to the NFL

Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren has accepted a job to become the next president and CEO of the Chicago Bears.

It was announced Thursday morning that Kevin Warren would be stepping down from his role as commissioner of the Big Ten to accept a job as the president and CEO of the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

In January 2020, Warren became the first African-American commissioner in the history of American student-sports conferences, taking over the reigns of the Big Ten. After three years in that role, the 59-year-old will now make his way over to the NFL, a league that he’s very familiar with.

Starting in 1997 as the Vice president of player programs & football legal counsel for the St. Louis Rams, Warren has 23 years of experience in the NFL, culminating in his five-year stint as Chief operating officer with the Minnesota Vikings from 2015-2019.

In Chicago, Warren will replace outgoing president and CEO Ted Phillips, who retired following the Bears’ 3-14 season in 2022. Although the team had an abysmal record, the Bears are one of the more exciting teams to watch this offseason as they possess the top selection in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft as well as over $110 million in cap space.

On the flip side, as of right now, there’s no news out of the Big Ten for a potential successor for Warren as the new conference commissioner. With UCLA and USC set to join the Big Ten in the near future, the new commissioner will be working with the largest collection of teams in conference history.

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Twitter reacts to Bears hiring Kevin Warren as new president/CEO

The Bears are hiring Kevin Warren as their new president and CEO, which has both Bears and Big Ten fans celebrating.

The Chicago Bears have found their new president and CEO in Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, according to a number of insiders.

An official announcement is expected later this week.

Warren will replace Ted Phillips, who’s retiring next month after spending 39 years with the Bears organization, including his current role since 1999.

Warren has 23 years of NFL experience, where he’s served in various roles dating back to 1997. That includes time with the Minnesota Vikings as executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer (2005-14) and chief operating officer (2015-19).

During his time with the Vikings, Warren played an integral role in the creation of U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016. With the Bears gearing up to make headway on their Arlington Heights stadium, Warren’s hiring makes too much sense.

As you can imagine, there’s plenty of reaction about Warren joining the Bears — both from the NFL and college side, where both Bears fans and Big Ten fans are celebrating the move.

Here’s how Twitter is reacting:

Bears name Kevin Warren as new president/CEO

The Bears have found Ted Phillips’ replacement in Kevin Warren, who is expected to be named the team’s new president/CEO.

The Chicago Bears are expected to name Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren as the their new president and CEO, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Warren will replace current president and CEO Ted Phillips, who’s retiring in February after 39 years with the Bears.

The move doesn’t came as too much of a surprise after a report surfaced that Warren had previously interviewed for the position and emerged as the frontrunner.

Warren has 21 years of NFL experience, where he’s served in various roles dating back to 1997. He’s worked with the Minnesota Vikings as their executive vice president of legal affairs and chief administrative officer from 2005-14 and their chief operating officer from 2015-19.

During his time with the Vikings, Warren played a huge role in the development of U.S. Bank Stadium in 2016. That’ll be huge as the Bears look to start developing a new stadium with their Arlington Heights property.

Meanwhile, Phillips has served as the Bears’ president and CEO since 1999, where he’s been integral in Soldier Field renovations in the early 2000s, as well as the purchasing of the Arlington Heights property in 2021.

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Bears and the Big Ten release separate statements regarding Kevin Warren

Bears and the Big Ten release separate statements regarding Kevin Warren.

The NFL and college football worlds were thrown for a loop when it was reported on Thursday by ESPN college insider Pete Thamel that Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren is considered a finalist to be the next team president/CEO of the Chicago Bears. The Bears are searching for a replacement for Ted Phillips, who announced over the summer he will retire early in 2023 after serving as the team’s president and CEO since 1999.

Shortly after the news broke, both the Bears and the Big Ten Conference have released statements regarding the reported interest of Warren.

Twitter reacts to Kevin Warren being named a finalist for the Bears next president/CEO

NFL fans and college football fans have mixed reactions about Kevin Warren possibly becoming the next Bears president/CEO.

The Chicago Bears appear to be close to finding a replacement for team president and CEO Ted Phillips, who plans to retire in early 2023 and they’re zeroing in on Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren.

According to ESPN college insider Pete Thamel, Warren is considered a finalist for the job and the process could be wrapped up within the next few weeks.

Warren has served as the Big Ten commissioner since 2020 and has been instrumental in expanding the conference with USC and UCLA set to join in 2024, while also spearheading a new TV deal for the conference. Warren also has been criticized for his handling of the shortened COVID-19 season in 2020 after he initially cancelled the season before bringing it back in October with a reduced schedule.

Prior to the Big Ten, Warren held various front office positions with the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and St. Louis Rams. He’s on the shortlist to replace Phillips, who is retiring after 39 years with the organization, 23 of which were spent as team president and CEO.

The news of Warren’s potential hiring has sent shockwaves across both pro and college football. It could create a massive shift in both sports and fans have mixed reactions on the possible move.