University of Tennessee Athletics
Mike Slive Biography
July 02, 2002 | Football
July 2, 2002
MIKE SLIVE BIOGRAPHY
SEC Commissioner
From his early days as an athletic administrator to his current post as commissioner, Mike Slive has maintained an integral role in the ever-changing world of intercollegiate athletics. He was named the seventh commissioner of the Southeastern Conference on July 2, 2002.
"We're delighted to have Mike Slive join the Southeastern Conference and serve as its Commisioner," said Dr. John White, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas and President of the SEC. "Mike is familiar with the league and he has been active on NCAA committees. We think he will build on the successes that the SEC has enjoyed in the past. We're excited about what Mike will be able to do working with the presidents and chancellors, athletics directors and coaches of the SEC in the league's continuing efforts to be the premier athletic conference in the nation."
Prior to joining the SEC, Slive was the Commissioner of Conference USA. He was named the first-ever Commissioner of the newly-formed league on April 24, 1995. Under his direction, Conference USA has quickly emerged as one of the nation's top conferences.
Presently, Slive is the chair of the first NCAA Infractions Appeals Committe and the National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee. He is also chair of the Board of Directors of NCAA Football USA and is the President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA). Last month, he was named to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Marquette Sports Law Institute.
Slive was also on the NCAA Management Council from 1997-2002, serving on the Membership Subcommittee and the Subcommittee to Review Automatic Qualification.
The 61-year old Slive has also served on the Board of Directors of the Sports Lawyers Association from 1997-2001 and was chair of the Division I-A Commissioners from 1999-2001. He also was a member of the NCAA Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues in 1998-99.
This summer, Slive was named by President Bush to the Commission of Athletic Opportunity, that will review the workings of Title IX. He is one of 15 panelists that consists of former and current athletes, athletic and academic administrators and college professors from around the nation.
Slive has an extensive administrative and legal background in intercollegiate athletics. He served as commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference since its formation in 1991, and played a pivotal role in the Great Midwest becoming one of the most successful and exciting conferences in the nation in the 1990's.
His previous athletic administrative experiences include: assistant director of athletics at Dartmouth College (1968-69), assistant Executive Director of the Pacific-10 Conference (1979-81), and Director of Athletics at Cornell University (1981-83), prior to developing his sports practice specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletic-related matters.
During his time as Commissioner of Conference USA, the league, enjoyed prominent national television exposure, NCAA automatic qualifications and major bowl tie-ins, including becoming a member of the Bowl Championship Series.
Slive's leadership has translated into valuable national television exposure for Conference USA with television partner ESPN Inc., as well as appearances on ABC and CBS. C-USA also developed a syndicated television network for women's and olympic sports.
The league's championship competition is enhanced by NCAA automatic bids in volleyball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's basketball. In football, along with being a member of the BCS, C-USA sends its regular season champion to the AXA Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., and teams to the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the Houston (Texas) Bowl, the Hawaii Bowl in Honolulu and the New Orleans (La.) Bowl.
Slive's efforts have been instrumental in expanding the league's membership. East Carolina joined football competition in 1997, Army in 1998 and UAB in 1999, while South Florida will compete in football in 2003. ECU and TCU were recently added as members for all sports beginning in the last academic year.
Slive's guidance has also been beneficial for the league on a national level as one of three C-USA representatives on the NCAA Management Council.
A native of Utica, N.Y., Slive was senior partner and founder of the Mike Slive-Mike Glazier Sports Group. Prior to the formation of the Slive-Glazier Sports Group in 1990, Slive was a partner in the Chicago law firm of Coffield Ungaretti Harris & Slavin. He operated his own practice in Hanover, N.H., and served as judge of the Hanover District Court from 1972-77.
Slive graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School in 1965 and an LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1966. Slive and his wife, Elizabeth, are the parents of a daughter, Anna.
Personal
Full Name: Michael Lawrence Slive
Born: July 26, 1940
Hometown: Utica, N.Y.
Family: Wife: Elizabeth
Daughter: Anna
Education
Undergraduate: Dartmouth College B.A., 1962
Graduate: University of Virginia JD, 1965
Georgetown University LLM, 1966
E. Barrett Prettyman Fellowship in Trial Advocacy
Athletic Administration Experience
1968-69 Assistant Director of Athletics Dartmouth College
1979-81 Assistant Executive Director Pacific-10 Conference
1981-83 Director of Athletics Cornell University
1991-95 Commissioner Great Midwest Conference
1995-2002 Commissioner Conference USA
2002- Commissioner Southeastern Conference
Legal Experience
1969-77 Partner Stebbins & Bradley, Hanover, N.H.
1972-77 Judge of Hanover (N.H.) District Court
1977-79 Judicial Master & Clerk of Grafton County (N.H.) Superior Court
1983-86 Founder Law Offices of Michael L. Slive, Hanover, N.H.
1986-91 Partner Coffield Ungaretti & Harris, Chicago, Ill.
1990-91 Senior Partner and Founder Slive-Glazier Sports Group, Chicago, Ill. & Kansas City, Mo.
Membership on Boards and Committees
Commission on Athletic Opportunity (Reviewing Title IX) (Appointed by President Bush on 6/28/02)
NCAA Management Council [1997-2002]
NCAA Management Council Membership Subcommittee
NCAA Management Council Subcommittee to Review Automatic Qualification
NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee (Chair) [1993- ]
NCAA Football USA (Chair, Board of Directors) [1998- ]
NCAA Division I Working Group to Study Basketball Issues [1998-99]
National Letter of Intent Appeals Committee (Chair) [1993- ]
Collegiate Commissioners Association (President) [2001- ]
Division I-A Commissionrs (Chair) [1999-2001]
Sports Lawyers Association (Board of Directors) [1997-2001]
Board of Advisors of Marquette Sports Law Institute [1999- ]
