In 1987 he was named director of enforcement for the NCAA with his most notable case being the imposition of the "death penalty" against Southern Methodist University in the Southern Methodist University football scandal.
In 2003 he joined the Big 12 as senior associate commissioner and chief operating officer.
The departures of Nebraska and Colorado, which had destabilized the conference the previous year, were no small factor either.
Texas also said it would broadcast high school highlights (which other schools felt would put them at a disadvantage when recruiting future players) and Texas initially indicated it would not share revenue from the deal with its fellow conference members.
The NCAA ruled that televising potential recruits' games would not be allowed before revenue sharing could be done.