April 5 (UPI) -- Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, who has led the conference since 2012, will "step away from the Commissioner's chair" later this year, the league announced Tuesday.
Bowlsby will remain at the helm of the conference until a new commissioner is chosen. Once that occurs, he will transition to a new role within the league office.
"After more than 40 years of serving in leadership roles in intercollegiate athletics, including the last 10 with the Big 12, and given the major issues that college sports in general and the Big 12 specifically will address in the next several years, I have reached a natural transition point in my tenure as commissioner, as well as in my career," Bowlsby said in a statement.
Last year, Big 12 powerhouses Texas and Oklahoma announced they were leaving for the Southeastern Conference. Despite the stunning announcement, Bowlsby managed to steady the league and orchestrated the additions of BYU, UCF, Houston and Cincinnati, who will join no later than the 2024-25 academic year.
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Texas and Oklahoma previously said they will remain in the conference until their Big 12 rights expire in 2025.
"The Big 12 will soon bring in our four new members and negotiate a new grant of rights and media rights agreements," Bowlsby said. "I truly believe the Big 12 and our member institutions are in a strong position now and as we look into the future.
"As such, this is an appropriate time for me to step away from the Commissioner's role so that the next leader of the conference can take the reins on these significant matters that will come to the forefront before the end of the term of my employment agreement in 2025 to set the stage for the Big 12's future ongoing success."
Bowlsby was appointed as commissioner in 2012, following defections from Missouri, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Colorado to other conferences. He added West Virginia and TCU and was able to maintain the Big 12's status as a Power 5 league.
In 2017, Bowlsby reinstated the conference's title game.
Throughout Bowlsby's tenure, the Big 12 has won 25 NCAA team national championships, including the last two men's basketball championships by Kansas and Baylor.
The Big 12 Conference said a national search for its next commissioner will begin in the next few weeks.
