CLEVELAND – Former Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson has been announced as a recipient of the 2019 Minority Opportunities Athletic Association (MOAA) Charles Whitcomb Service Award.
The MOAA Charles Whitcomb Award recognizes and celebrates individuals that foster diversity and inclusion within the intercollegiate athletics community. Benson and David Williams, former Vanderbilt University vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletics director who passed away suddenly in February, are set to be presented the awards at 2019 MOAA Symposium in Orlando, Fla.
Benson recently closed his six-year tenure as Sun Belt Commissioner, capping off a 30-year career in intercollegiate athletics administration. Some of his accomplishments during his time with the Sun Belt include:
• Increased revenue distribution to membership by 2,000%
• Realigned the conference structure with the addition of six institutions
• Repurposed the Sun Belt brand and marks
• Developed three (3) additional bowl games, increasing to five total as a conference
• Added a Sun Belt Football Championship Game and a divisional structure for the sport
• Moved the location of the Sun Belt Basketball Championships to New Orleans
• Signed a multimedia rights extension with ESPN through 2028
• Moved the Sun Belt office headquarters to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Benson became the Sun Belt's fifth commissioner after serving as commissioner of the Mid-American Conference (1990-94) and Western Athletic Conference (1994-2012). He is the only individual to serve as commissioner of three NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision/Division I-A conferences. Benson served on the NCAA national office staff for more than four years prior to taking over as MAC Commissioner.
Benson earned his bachelor's degree from Boise State University in 1975 where he played baseball, and received the Distinguished Alumni Award in April 2006.
About the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association
Administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association promotes equitable employment opportunities for minorities in the athletics industry through the exchange of ideas, the creation of networking opportunities and the avocation of an increase in employment for minorities in athletics administration positions at all levels of the sports industry. The association also promotes cultivating a sports environment that supports the values necessary to accept aspiring professionals from all walks of life.
For more information on the Minority Opportunities Athletic Association, visit
MOAAweb.com.