James Schaus is a retired sports administrator who most recently served as commissioner of the Southern Conference (SoCon).
[2] In his later youth, after sixth grade, he grew up in West Lafayette, Indiana where he received his Bachelor's degree from Purdue University in 1983.
[3] He earned a Master's degree in athletics administration from West Virginia University where he was named a distinguished alumnus.
[4][5] Prior to his long career in administrating college athletics Schaus worked in the NFL where he was first an intern with the New England Patriots and later as the director of marketing for the Washington Redskins.
[6][7] Schaus was athletic director for Wichita State from 1999 to 2008 during which he hired Gregg Marshall as the men's basketball coach.
Under the leadership of Schaus and Head coach Frank Solich the Ohio football program was bowl eligible every season during his tenure.
[34] Schaus and Dan Gavitt, the NCAA's senior vice president of basketball, met with Jeff Sagarin, Kevin Pauga (KPI), Ken Pomeroy, and Ben Alamar (ESPN BPI) to begin the process of considering a new alternative.
Michael Cross, a veteran college sports administrator who had most recently served with the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, was named as his successor.
[44] He is the son of former Los Angeles Lakers, Purdue and West Virginia head coach Fred Schaus.