FAU AD Angelos approves of the hiring of Benson as SBC commissioner
By Chuck King
Florida Atlantic Athletic Director Craig Angelos approves of the Sun Belt's decision to make Karl Benson its new commissioner.
“I believe in getting people who are experts in a field,” Angelos said. “I really put a high value on people who have been successful in the industry in which they are applying for a position.”
The Sun Belt announced the hiring of Benson on a Thursday afternoon conference call.
Benson had been the commissioner of the WAC since 1994. He will be replacing Wright Walters, whose resignation takes affect in a couple months.
During his tenure as WAC commissioner Benson oversaw what was at one time the largest Division I-A conference – a 16-team league that covered much of the western United States. The conference turned out to be too large for many members, some of which broke off to form the Mountain West.
Now the eight-member WAC is the smallest conference in D-IA football and it could be getting even smaller. Several schools have been mentioned as possibilities to join the new conference formed by the recent merger of the Mountain West and Conference USA.
The idea that Benson's tenure as WAC commissioner is ending with what could be the disintegration of the conference doesn't concern Angelos, and he believes the fact that Benson isn't coming from one of the power conferences will make it easier to deal with the financial restraints Sun Belt schools work under.
“If he was dropped in the SEC, would he be a better commissioner overnight? Absolutely,” Angelos said. “If I was dropped in the SEC, would I be a better athletic director overnight? Absolutely. There are better resources.”
Angelos said he didn't have a hand in selecting Benson. That decision was made by the presidents of the member institutions.