The Sean McDonough Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Michael A. Tranghese, Commissioner

Mike Tranghese, the BIG EAST Conference’s first full-time employee and the league’s Commissioner since 1990, has announced that he will step down on June 30, 2009. Tranghese has been the one constant in a league that enjoyed meteoric growth in its early years, followed by the establishment of football and a changing membership landscape nationally. The BIG EAST has emerged as a 16-member consortium that has never been stronger.

The BIG EAST has always been a prominent player in the world of intercollegiate athletics, in large part because of Tranghese’s efforts. He has worked tirelessly to create the best possible climates for BIG EAST student-athletes to succeed academically and athletically. Tranghese always has had the BIG EAST on its path of success with effective leadership and unwavering integrity.

Tranghese opened the league’s doors in Providence in 1979, though those doors belonged to a local public relations firm. The BIG EAST had only two rooms, an office and a small conference room. Today, the league is the nation’s largest Division I-A conference.

The vibrant health of the league is evidenced by the current lucrative television contracts with ESPN, Inc. and CBS that give BIG EAST schools more exposure in all sports than at any point in their history.

On the basketball court, the league placed a record eight men’s and eight women’s teams in the 2008 NCAA Championship. Football success has never been greater. The BIG EAST football champion has won its bowl game in the Bowl Championship Series for the past three years.

During his tenure as Commissioner, Tranghese has been faced with critical membership issues on several occasions. He navigated the league through each situation and made it stronger each time. In 2003-04, the BIG EAST addressed an evolving conference membership climate and Tranghese coordinated the entrance of five institutions for 2005-06: the University of Cincinnati, DePaul University, University of Louisville, Marquette University and the University of South Florida.

The number of sponsored sports has risen steadily under Tranghese. The league has added its 24th sport, men’s lacrosse, which will begin competition in 2010.

Tranghese was the leader behind the formation of BIG EAST football, which began in 1991. An acknowledged industry leader in television negotiation and production, Tranghese has been a central figure in every television negotiation in the league’s history. All of these accomplishments have been achieved in an NCAA environment that seems to be in a continual state of change.

Tranghese’s negotiating expertise has resulted in a long-term partnership with Madison Square Garden, host of the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Championship since 1983.

Tranghese has ensured the league’s position as a leader in television exposure. The BIG EAST has been a long-time partner with CBS Sports and ESPN and has enjoyed multi-year agreements with both entities in basketball and football.

Tranghese also was the force behind The BIG EAST Television Network, which was a benchmark for regional network television in the eighties and early nineties. In 1995, the league awarded ESPN, Inc. exclusive rights to all of its basketball and football games not broadcast on a national network.

Tranghese moved into the Commissioner's chair on June 21, 1990 and has been an active leader nationally since his appointment. During the 2002 and ’03 football seasons, he was the lead administrator of the Bowl Championship Series, the group of major conferences and bowls that produces college football’s national championship game and the best possible bowl matchups.

In 2000-01, he concluded a five-year term on the NCAA Men=s Basketball Committee by serving as chair. Tranghese also has served as chair of the NCAA Men's Basketball Subcommittee on Television. He was on the NCAA=s negotiating team that secured a record $6 billion contract from CBS for broadcast rights to the men=s basketball championship.

In addition, he has served as chair of the Division I-A Commissioners and the Collegiate Commissioners Association.

Shortly after being named Commissioner, Tranghese laid the groundwork and put together The BIG EAST Football Conference. In response to significant conference realignment nationally, he directed an expansion and created a unique eight-team football group. Despite its newborn status, the BIG EAST was a charter member of the major conference alliance now known as the Bowl Championship Series.

After establishing BIG EAST football, Tranghese guided the league through a critical time that many observers felt could have resulted in a permanent split among its members. In March, 1994, the conference added football members Rutgers University and West Virginia University as its 11th and 12th full-time members and maintained its overall structure.

Just four months later, the University of Notre Dame, clearly the nation=s premier men's basketball independent, joined the BIG EAST. Rutgers, West Virginia and Notre Dame began BIG EAST competition in 1995-96.

The league's athletic directors unanimously appointed Tranghese in 1990 after his 11 years of service, the last nine as associate commissioner. As Commissioner, he has led the BIG EAST while maintaining the principles which have marked the conference=s explosive rise to prominence -- promoting and cultivating intercollegiate athletic programs in an environment of integrity while pursuing excellence at the highest possible level.

Tranghese's career in college athletics began at American International College in his hometown of Springfield, Mass.

He was the sports information director at Providence College where he generated publicity for the nationally successful Friar teams of the 1970s under Dave Gavitt. As the media attention on Eastern college basketball and the growth of sports events on television increased, Gavitt and Tranghese were prepared to take advantage. Gavitt became the BIG EAST=s first Commissioner in 1979 and served until 1990 when Tranghese assumed the helm.

Under Tranghese, the BIG EAST championship slate has expanded from seven men's championships in 1979 to 24 men’s and women’s championships today.

Tranghese is a 1965 graduate of St. Michael's College in Winooski, Vt. He is married to Susan Huntemann.

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