We are losing three visionary leaders in college sports to retirement – Karl Benson, Ron Wellman, and Debbie Yow.
Karl Benson achieved much in his time at the Sun Belt, and he deserves a great deal of credit for successful tenures as Commissioner of three different conferences – the Sun Belt, Western Athletic and Mid-American Conferences.
He has had a long journey through college sports, starting out as a student-athlete before moving to coaching then eventually becoming a leader at the national and conference levels.
Ron Wellman has overseen the most successful period in athletics history at Wake Forest University and leaves as the longest-tenured FBS AD. He played a significant role in shaping college sports on a regional and national level and is a former president of the D1A Athletic Directors’ Association.
Debbie Yow was an AD at three Division I institutions, including my alma mater, University of Maryland, and was the first woman president of the D1A Athletic Directors’ Association. She has done a great job leading NC State, the largest university in North Carolina, for the past nine years.
We are so thankful to have Karl and Debbie as part of the faculty for the LEAD1 Institute this summer at Ohio State University. Karl will participate in our commissioner’s panel while Debbie will be one of our featured speakers. And I might add, she’s been to 19 out of 20 Institutes.
Karl, Ron and Debbie will be missed. We at LEAD1 wish them all the best for an amazing retirement.
