Karl Benson, commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference, will be named new Sun Belt commissioner Thursday, according to CBSsports.com.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Benson said “I will not respond to rumors” but the Sun Belt has scheduled a conference call for Thursday. Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters is retiring.
The move leaves the University of Denver’s new league without a commissioner. Benson is expected to take the SBC job after the Final Four. Denver leaves, ironically, the Sun Belt for the WAC for the 2012-13 school year.
Since Benson took over the WAC in 1994, the conference has expanded into the biggest in the country and has gone through mass transformation through the formation of the Mountain West.
It expanded to 16 teams in 1996 before eight schools left to form the Mountain West in 1999. The WAC also lost Boise State, Hawaii and Fresno State to the Mountain West but will soon add Texas State and Texas-San Antonio for football and Denver for all WAC sports but football.
During Benson’s tenure, Boise State and Hawaii both played in BCS games.
John Henderson: 303-954-1299 or jhenderson@denverpost.com
