The Pac-12 has hired longtime NFL and college football executive Merton Hanks as the new senior associate commissioner for football operations, marking the first time the conference has had a leader entirely dedicated to the sport.
Hanks will report directly to Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. Hanks will be responsible for all aspects of the administration of Pac-12 football, including planning, refereeing, replay command center, operations, the conference title game and relations with the Bowl of the league.
He will also serve as the primary contact for Pac-12 athletic directors and football coaches, bowl partners and NCAA administrators on football matters.
“In the simplest terms, if it touches football, I’m going to be involved with the Pac-12,” Hanks told ESPN. “And I hope we’ll be able to work with Larry to continue to provide first class experiences for our student-athletes and then be innovative in the way we move forward. This COVID-19 sports world, you have to be flexible, you have to be innovative. We need to mitigate the risks, but at the same time, we are going to deliver this first class experience to our student-athletes. “
Hanks, an Iowa graduate, played nine seasons in the NFL and was a starting safety for the San Francisco 49ers when they won Super Bowl XXIX in 1995. He was four times selected for the Pro Bowl and three-time All-Pro member, and he was nominated for the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.
He will move from Dallas to be based at the league’s headquarters in San Francisco, and he will begin work on September 8 at a historic and difficult time. The Pac-12 have postponed their fall sports due to the coronavirus pandemic, hoping to play in the spring.
“The Pac-12 did a fabulous job following the science,” Hanks said. “… It’s not an easy decision to say that we’re going to move our football season to the spring, something that to my knowledge has not been done before. We’ll be looking carefully at what we need to do. to be able to move forward in risk mitigation, certainly following the science and the example of our medical advisors. “
As Pac-12 officials began discussing spring concepts, Hanks said it was difficult to cement plans until the NCAA Football Oversight Committee determined what made sense as the date of start.
“Then you can really organize your schedule at this point,” Hanks said. “Whichever date we choose, we’re going to have to count six weeks back to give our student-athletes and coaches and administration a chance to prepare. There are a lot of moving parts.”
Hanks said there were “huge possibilities” for playing in the spring, starting with a better understanding of COVID-19 and its impact on student-athletes. He said it’s time to put together “a schedule that makes sense,” but it’s a reality for every conference that some of the athletes will choose not to play.
“Anything we do will set a precedent, and we need to deliberate carefully on how we approach a spring season,” Hanks said. “There are many, many questions that will take a tremendous amount of deliberation, and I for one hope that college football in its entirety, for these conferences that will take place in the spring with the PAC, can come to a situation where the dates early days have a certain continuity with what spring football looks like, so that we can be on as level a playing field as possible given the unprecedented nature of the game in the spring. “
Hanks arrives at Conference USA’s Pac-12, where he was Senior Associate Commissioner since 2016 and was responsible for football and baseball operations, including planning, officiating, game operations and player conduct and safety. , among other functions.
He was credited with achieving a nationally recognized level of training for C-USA officials, as well as ethnic and gender diversity among officials. Heading into the 2020 season, C-USA retained the highest percentage of serving officials in the NFL, including the NFL’s first female official.
Prior to joining Conference USA, Hanks spent 13 years with the NFL, where he served as Vice President, Football Operations and Compliance, starting in 2011. In this capacity, he was responsible for compliance appeals. of the NFL, instituted safety and equipment upgrades. and a coordinated departmental operational strategy. Hanks has served as co-chair of the NFL College Relations and Campus Visits committee and has been the primary liaison with the American Football Coaches Association, the NFL Players Association, NCAA and administration. NFL clubs.
Prior to his promotion to vice president in 2011, Hanks worked in the football operations and consumer products areas of the NFL for eight years.
Arizona State Athletic Director Ray Anderson worked alongside Hanks in the NFL for eight years, said he was “dizzy” because he knew “how much value” Hanks will bring to the league as the “absolute perfect candidate for us”.
“I couldn’t be happier for him personally, but the Pac-12 has also just improved dramatically in terms of having someone with their skill set, and especially relationships across football, college levels. and professional – players, coaches, administrators, commissioners, unionists, “Anderson said.” … He has it all for us. “
Anderson said he believes the position is unique among the Power 5 conferences, with one person fully dedicated to football operations.
“Football matters are so important, and at some point you will need more coordination and the ability to work between conferences to achieve some consistency and standards, which we can do better if we just get better. and have someone specifically assigned to take care of all the details and move the industry forward, ”Anderson said.“ I think others, quite frankly, if they don’t have it, will follow very soon. this model, because it makes too much sense. “
As part of his role, Hanks will serve as a member of the College Football Board of Directors, the College Football Officials Competition Committee, and the NCAA Football Rules Committee.
“Head coaches will say, ‘This guy, he played in the league. He played in college. He’s been part of that whole community of college and professional coaches, “” Anderson said. “These coaches will have great respect for Merton for what he’s done and where he’s been. So will officials at the college level. … Everyone knows Merton.”
Since retiring as a player, Hanks has held a number of radio and television roles, while also leading speaking engagements across the country.
Originally from Dallas, Hanks graduated from Lake Highlands High School. He played college football in Iowa, earning a BA in Liberal Arts in 1990. Hanks also completed the Masters of Sports Administration program at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business Executive Education in 2005 and 2012.
.
