Pac-10 hires former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg as deputy commissioner

Larry Scott, the new Pac-10 commissioner, has decided that if the league is to improve its stature in the college hierarchy, he's going to need some help.

Monday, Scott announced the hiring of former Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg to be deputy commissioner, effective April 12, in what constitutes a restructuring of duties at the top of the conference.

In an interview with The Times that also included Weiberg, Scott said he conferred with former Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen, and "he preferred a different kind of structure." But Scott's seven months on the job persuaded him that a deputy commissioner could be important in trying to better market and position the conference.

"Kevin, with his deep intercollegiate experience, is a perfect complement to my background," said Scott, who previously was CEO of the Women's Tennis Association.

Two topics that no doubt will occupy some of Weiberg's time: the possibility of conference expansion and a potential league TV network.

The Big Ten is currently weighing the expansion issue, and that move could have a ripple effect on other major conferences. Weiberg was deputy to Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany from 1989 to 1998, and a Pac-10 statement says Weiberg "was instrumental in the integration of Penn State into the conference."

Weiberg, 53, also worked 18 months for the Big Ten Network, a venture that will pay that conference $2.8 billion over 25 years and helps expose nonrevenue sports, one of Scott's avowed goals for the Pac-10.

"I left it feeling pretty good about the potential such a network carries," Weiberg said. "It's a wonderful way for universities to extend their brand, and it's great exposure for sports that don't receive much of it.

"Having said that, there are challenges. It's not easy to get (a network) distributed. I do think it's something that needs to be considered as the Pac-10 considers its range of possibilities for the future."

Scott says Weiberg will help with "day-to-day management," as well as being a "partner and counselor" in strategic decisions.

For instance, Scott said last summer that nothing in his tenure would top the importance of future TV deals. In that arena, the Pac-10 is playing catch-up with other conferences like the Southeastern, which has a 15-year, $3 billion, multisport hookup with CBS and ESPN. Pac-10 deals with ABC, ESPN and Fox run through 2012.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com