James Edward Delany (born 1948) is the former commissioner of theBig Ten Conference, a role in which he had served from 1989 until 2020. He is regarded among college athletics as having been influential in the creation of theBowl Championship Series and its maintenance.
Delany grew up inSouth Orange, New Jersey and attendedSaint Benedict's Preparatory School inNewark, New Jersey. He attended theUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he received aBachelor of Arts degree inpolitical science in 1970. While a student there he played for the university'sbasketball team, playing on two squads that reached theNCAA Final Four. His senior season he was co-captain of the team.[1]
He remained at North Carolina forlaw school, receiving hisJuris Doctor (J.D.) in 1973.
From 1973 to 1974, Delany was employed as counsel to theNorth Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee. From there, he was hired to the position of staff attorney for the North Carolina Justice Department. In 1975 he moved on to a position in theNational Collegiate Athletic Association, working as an enforcement representative. He remained in this position for four years before moving on to theOhio Valley Conference as its commissioner. He remained commissioner of that conference until 1989 when he was appointed commissioner of theBig Ten Conference.
Memberships and other positions held include a member of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), a member of the College Basketball Partnership, vice president ofUSA Basketball Executive Committee and a member of the board of directors of the University of North Carolina General Alumni Association.
On March 4, 2019, Delaney announced he was retiring. He officially stepped down on January 1, 2020.
During his tenure as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference, Delany has overseen:
Due to his position, Delany had a significant amount of influence with regard to theBowl Championship Series. Twenty-five percent of all U.S. households are in the geographic region covered by the Big Ten Conference.[when?][citation needed] This has had major implications on his influence over college football. Delany opposed the idea of a college football playoff system, arguing that a playoff would diminish the value of regular season games.[2]
Delany is married to Catherine Fisher Delany, with whom he has two sons, Newman McMurray and James Chancellor.