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Thomas C. Hansen Thomas C. Hansen succeeded Wiles Hallock as the fifth Commissioner of the Pacific-10 Conference on July 1, 1983. Previously, he was an NCAA administrator for 16 years, preceded by seven years as Director of Public Relations for the Pac-10 (then the AAWU). During his tenure as Commissioner, the Pac-10 has inaugurated its nationally prominent women's sports program, created two football television programs, expanded television coverage in basketball, joined in establishing the Bowl Championship Series and developed Pac-10 relationships with seven bowl games, and initiated an administrative fellowship program to expand minority opportunities in college athletic administration, while remaining dramatically successful nationally in a broad range of sports. That success was capped by a historic 14 NCAA championships in 1996-97, and is reflected in dominance of the annual Directors' Cup competition which identifies the nation's strongest athletic programs based on overall achievement. Prominent in NCAA affairs, Hansen currently is a member of the NCAA Diversity Leadership Strategic Planning Committee and the NCAA Oversight and Monitoring Group, charged with implementation of the recommendations of the NCAA Presidential Task Force. He was President of NCAA Football in 2006 and 2007. Earlier he served on major NCAA groups, including the Gender Equity Task Force and the Division I Task Force on Restructuring. In 2006-07, he was a member of the NCAA Governance Subcommittee, which developed recommendations for again restructuring the NCAA governance structure. Hansen also chaired a committee on contest exemptions, and served on the Nominating and Special Events Committees. He served for two years as President of the Collegiate Commissioners Association (CCA), and four years on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Northern California Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, and served on that organization's national Honor's Court for six years. He was presented the Northern California Chapter's Distinguished American Award in 1998. He was honored in June 1994 by NACDA with its Award for Administrative Excellence, and in 2001 by the NFFCHF with its Outstanding Contribution to Amateur Football Award. His previous Pac-10 service as Public Relations Director from 1960 to 1967 followed graduation in 1959 from the University of Washington, and a year as a reporter on the staff of the Vancouver (Wash.) Columbian. During his 1967-83 service with the NCAA, he was Director of Public Relations (1967-71) and Assistant Executive Director (1971-83). Significant duties included being director of the NCAA football television program for 12 years, administrator of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament for two years, director of governmental affairs, administrator for the Committee on Women's Athletics, and director of media relations for many NCAA events. He was editor of the NCAA News, director of the Communications Department and staffed other key committees. Hansen and his wife Melva have two children, Sarah and Bryan, and three grand children.
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