Intercollegiate Athletics Has Lost a Giant and the SEC a Legend

USA TODAY SportsMike Slive the man who almost single handly changed the face of intercollegiate athletics has passed away. He was commissioner of the South Eastern Conference from 2002 to 2015 but his influence reached further than just the footprint of the 14 member league.

He set the standard for other leagues to follow when he negotiated huge television contracts for the conference and closed the deal with ESPN on the launching of a new SEC Network. In conjunction with that move he led the league in expanding to 14 members with the additions of Texas A&M and Missouri, a move emulated by the rest of the nation. And during his tenure the conference won 81 national championships in 17 of its…