July 21, 2022; Birmingham, AL, USA; SWAC Commissioner Charles McClelland is interviewed during the Southwestern Athletic Conference Media Day at the Sheraton Birmingham. Gary Cosby Jr.-The Tuscaloosa News Swac Media Day
Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK
Southwestern Athletic Conference commissioner Charles McClelland received a contract extension through the 2032 academic year, the conference’s council of presidents and chancellors announced Friday. McClelland became commissioner of the SWAC in the summer of 2018 and has helped the league raise its profile in terms of football and men’s basketball. “Over the course of the past five years the Southwestern Athletic Conference has made significant strides towards becoming one of the most widely recognized and visible athletic conferences in the country,” SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors Chairman Quinton T. Ross Jr., said in a news release. “The visionary and dynamic leadership of Commissioner McClelland has helped propel our conference to prominence on a national stage while also increasing the availability of financial resources that have positively impacted the overall student-athlete experience. We are undoubtedly excited about the continued upward trajectory of our league under his leadership.” McClelland also was highly visible during the latter stages of the 2023-24 college basketball season while serving as the chairman of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee that selects at-large teams and handles seeding for the 68-team NCAA Tournament. McClelland was the first person from an HBCU league or institution to chair the committee. His five-year overall stint on the committee ended last season. –Field Level Media
CM: So you have to be nominated amongst the membership to be on the committee from a national pool, and then you have to be voted in. So, the basketball community gives the opportunity to weigh in. The men’s basketball oversight committee weighs in [and then] it goes to the nominating committee, which, again, is a national NCAA committee. Ultimately, I was voted in through the organizational structure to the Division 1 Board of Directors.
Once you are selected, you are chosen for a five-year term. My ability to become vice chairman last year and ultimately chairman this year is voted upon by the committee members.
BK: How would you describe your experience on the committee?
CM: One of the most fulfilling, from a career standpoint. I’ve had [the] opportunity to interact with the CEOs of CBS and Turner Sports to deal with the individuals within the industry, television, sports, and marketing.
I had [the] opportunity to interact with four governors and several mayors of cities as we went out and selected cities to host not only regionals but the Final Four.
So, at every level of business and government, you can interact at a high level, so you learn so much. You know how business is done. [Now I] have those contacts that ultimately will be able to help me within my roles as commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference. It has been one of the most fulfilling career opportunities that I’ve had, and it will allow me, in my opinion, to become an even more polished commissioner to assist the SWAC and achieve the goals we’ve all set for ourselves.
BK: What are some things you learned through these experiences that you can implement as commissioner of the SWAC?
CM: How the big boys and girls do business nationally and to be in the room … I think that’s significant. To be in the room when you hear television contracts being talked about and hearing about facilities, you can understand all the intricacies of [how] all this works. Then you can take those lessons back.
As you look at your television contracts, [and] deal with some of the same executives, you are speaking the same language. They know that you know. There are different levels to operate than what we [the SWAC] are normally able to operate. To be honest with you, it was a realization that the Southwestern Athletic Conference has a good standing.
Historically, we’ve done a good job of putting ourselves at the forefront of many of these entities. From a macro standpoint, being in the room, being at the table, and having these conversations are important and significant in my growth [as a commisioner] and this conference.
