Michael Slive
{{short description|American college athletic director, college athletic conference commissioner, attorney}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Michael Slive
| image = MichaelSlive.jpg
| image_size =
| caption = Slive in 2008
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1940|07|26}}
| birth_place = Utica, New York, U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2018|05|16|1940|07|26}}
| death_place = Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
| education = B.A., Dartmouth College, 1962
J.D., Virginia, 1965
LL.M., Georgetown, 1966
| employer = Southeastern Conference
| occupation = Commissioner
| years_active = 2002–2015
| spouse =
}}
Michael Lawrence Slive (July 26, 1940 – May 16, 2018) was an American attorney and college sports executive. Slive was the commissioner of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), a college athletics association, from 2002 until 2015.{{cite web |title=SEC Commissioner Slive's Contract Extended |date=September 15, 2005 |url=http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=6183&change_well_id=2 |publisher=Southeastern Conference |accessdate=July 11, 2007 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160228/http://www.secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=6183&change_well_id=2 |archivedate = September 30, 2007}}
Early life and education
Slive was born on July 26, 1940 in Utica, New York.{{Cite web |title=Former SEC commissioner Mike Slive dies at age 77 |url=https://www.secsports.com/news/2018/05/former-sec-commissioner-mike-slive-dies-at-age-77 |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Southeastern Conference |language=en}} His father Sol Slive owned a meat market and hoped for Mike to become a doctor. Slive was the quarterback of Utica Free Academy's high school football team, and became the first person in his family to attend college,{{Cite web |last=Oct 2019 |first=Sept- |title=The Commish |url=https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/mike-slive-memories |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine |language=en}} when he enrolled in Dartmouth College as a premed and played college football. However, he soon switched from football to lacrosse, and from medicine to law. While at Dartmouth, he was president of Alpha Theta fraternity.{{Cite web |last=Feb 2011 |first=Brad Parks ’96 {{!}} Jan- |title=A League of His Own |url=https://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/articles/league-his-own |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Dartmouth Alumni Magazine |language=en}} He worked as a unionized meat cutter to pay for his tuition.
He graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. He earned a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1965 and an LL.M. from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1966.
Career
Slive began his career in 1969 as assistant director of athletics at Dartmouth College. Slive became the seventh commissioner of the SEC on July 1, 2002. He was the first commissioner of Conference USA from 1995 to 2002, and the first commissioner of the Great Midwest Conference upon its founding in 1991.{{cite web |title=Slive Named Southeastern Conference Commissioner |date=July 2, 2002 |url=http://www.secsports.com/new/local/commissioner_070202.html |accessdate=July 11, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160203/http://www.secsports.com/new/local/commissioner_070202.html |archivedate = September 30, 2007}}
Early in his life, he practiced law in New Hampshire, serving as judge of the Hanover District Court from 1972 to 1977, and was a partner in a Chicago law firm. He was assistant director of athletics at Dartmouth College, assistant executive director of the Pacific-10 Conference, and director of athletics at Cornell University from 1981 to 1983.{{Cite web |date=2006-11-11 |title=Mike Slive '62 ? In Commission |url=https://dartmouthsports.com/news/2006/11/11/684549 |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Dartmouth College Athletics |language=en}} In 1990, he became senior partner and founder of the Mike Slive-Mike Glazier Sports Group, a legal practice specializing in representing colleges and universities in athletics-related matters.
As part of his role as the SEC Commissioner, he served as the coordinator of the Bowl Championship Series for the 2006 and 2007 regular seasons.{{cite web |date=January 17, 2007 |title=BCS Governance |url=http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/governance |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705091531/http://www.bcsfootball.org/bcsfb/governance |archivedate=July 5, 2007 |accessdate=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Bowl Championship Series}} He was a member of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee through September 2009[http://www.bracketography.com/selectioncommittee.htm The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee] and served as the chairman of the committee for the 2008–09 academic year.{{cite web |date=July 9, 2007 |title=Slive Named NCAA Men's Basketball Committee Chair |url=http://www.secsports.com/index.php?url_channel_id=20&url_article_id=9158&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927231700/http://www.secsports.com/index.php?url_channel_id=20&url_article_id=9158&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2 |archivedate=September 27, 2007 |accessdate=July 11, 2007 |publisher=Southeastern Conference}} He retired as commissioner effective July 31, 2015.{{Cite web |title=Retirement announcement |url=http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24752017/sec-announces-mike-slive-to-retire-as-commissioner-july-2015- |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160517053138/http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/eye-on-college-football/24752017/sec-announces-mike-slive-to-retire-as-commissioner-july-2015- |archive-date=May 17, 2016 |access-date=October 15, 2014}}
He chaired the NCAA Infractions Appeals Committee and the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee.
In 2009, Slive was inducted into the Greater Utica Sports Hall of Fame.{{Cite web |title=Mike Slive {{!}} Greater Utica Sport Hall of Fame |url=https://www.greateruticasports.com/hall-of-famers/view/mike-slive |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=www.greateruticasports.com |language=en-US}}
Death
In his later years, Slive was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Before his death, he co-founded the Mike Slive Foundation for Prostate Cancer Research.{{Cite web |last=Markham |first=Madoline |date=2021-12-01 |title=Mike Slive: A Family Man |url=https://vestaviahillsmagazine.com/mike-slive-sec-commissioner/ |access-date=2025-01-02 |website=Vestavia Hills Magazine |language=en-US}} He died on May 16, 2018, age 77, in Birmingham, Alabama. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Liz, and their daughter, Anna.{{cite web |url=https://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2018/05/former_sec_commissioner_mike_s.html |title=Former SEC commissioner Mike Slive dead at age 77 |last=Stephenson |first=Creg |date=May 18, 2018 |website=al.com |access-date=May 18, 2018}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Cornell Big Red athletic director navbox}}
{{Southeastern Conference commissioner navbox}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slive, Michael}}
Category:Conference USA commissioners
Category:Cornell University faculty
Category:Cornell Big Red athletic directors
Category:Dartmouth College alumni
Category:Georgetown University Law Center alumni
Category:Southeastern Conference commissioners
Category:University of Virginia School of Law alumni
Category:Businesspeople from Utica, New York
Category:Lawyers from Birmingham, Alabama