‘They pay me to have an opinion’
Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren speaks with the Tribune for his first interview on the new job
Kevin Warren begins each day on his knees with a morning prayer. “I thank God for another day and thank God for a wonderful wife,” he says. “I pray to keep my children safe. And I pray for the Big Ten Conference.”
He dons a suit-and-tie combination laid out the previous night. Even his workout clothes are set aside for maximum efficiency before sunrise.
Warren leaves his high-rise overlooking Lake Shore Drive for what is typically a 27minute drive to Big Ten headquarters in Rosemont. He listens to a mix of sports and business shows on SiriusXM Radio, toggling between ESPNU and “First Things First” on Fox Sports Radio.
The conference’s most powerful employee is also the first to arrive, often before 6 a.m. His workday ends about 13 hours later, and he returns downtown for a 7:45 dinner with wife Greta and daughter Peri at a spot such as Joe’s, Capital Grille or Bandera.
Told that he is tireless, Warren replies: “This could be my last day on Earth. I want to make sure that when I get to the pearly gates, I can say I gave it my all.”
In his first interview since succeeding Jim Delany as Big Ten commissioner Jan. 2, Warren spoke of playoff expansion, trailblazing, big words and bigger goals.
Inside: 10 takeaways from that interview.
1. An inspired selection
Big Ten officials conducted such a furtive search, many of Warren’s friends and associates didn’t even know he was a candidate.
“I found out on Twitter (after he got the job),” Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel said. “That’s how tight it was.”
Warren was considered a surprise selection, in part because insiders knew Big Ten athletic directors would push hard for Northwestern’s Jim Phillips, one of their own.
Warren, though, blew away university chancellors and presidents during his interview. They hold the power. And looking back, how could Warren not have been considered an ideal candidate?
Warren, 56, is a former student-athlete, a basketball player at Penn and Grand Canyon University in his native Phoenix. An Academic All-American, he earned a law degree from Notre Dame, worked as a sports agent and spent nearly 20 years as an NFL executive for the Rams, Lions and Vikings. Early in his career he teamed with future Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive on cases involving NCAA infractions.
His father, Dr. Morrison Warren Sr., played professional football for the Brooklyn Dodgers of the All-America Football Conference after starring at Arizona State. He served on the board of the Fiesta Bowl. Older brother Morrison Jr. was one of Stanford’s first African-American scholarship athletes. Son Powers plays tight end at Mississippi State.
“It’s a big world,” Warren says. “Sometimes the most logical choice or people to hire are the ones in your milieu.”
Your … what now?
“Milieu,” he replies, retrieving his phone to offer a precise definition. “Isn’t that a great word? It means a person’s social environment.”
2. A way with words
Warren is the youngest of seven children and sometimes felt isolated. After school he would visit his mother, Margaret, an elementary school librarian.
“My mother loved words,” he says. “The library is where I developed my love for reading.”
And for travel. Warren would spin a globe, put his finger on a spot and read about it. Decades later, when he was finally able to visit the Louvre or the Duomo in Milan, Italy, he was “awestruck.”
Travel will be a huge component of his job. Warren is determined to see every Big Ten varsity team compete in 2020, starting Jan. 26 with the Maryland-Indiana men’s basketball game. There are, no joke, 351 Big Ten teams. He will catch many at their conference tournaments.
“It’s already mapped out,” Warren says. “It’s important to get on all the campuses and (ask): What can we do to create an even more healthy and productive environment for our student-athletes?”
3. A new vibe
Have you ever tried to explain to someone what makes the musical “Hamilton” so special? You can’t. You end up saying, “When you see it, you’ll understand.”
It’s the same with Warren.
When you meet him, you’ll understand. The appeal is his combination of intelligence and warmth.
“Feel that energy?” says Diane Dietz, the Big Ten’s deputy commissioner. There’s a less formal vibe in the office. An example: My exit interview with Delany began in a conference room on the second floor. Warren, though, waves me up to his office on the third floor, which is designated for Big Ten employees.
He asks about my kids, taking a sincere interest. Our interview was blocked off for 30 minutes, but even after a conference official enters to remind him of his next meeting, Warren says: “Ask what you want. Don’t rush yourself.”
And after 45 minutes, he walks me to the elevator.
4. A view from the helmet
We did not hit on every topic. I can’t say how Warren feels about Friday night football, superconferences or name, image and likeness rights. But his answer regarding the proper size of the College Football Playoff was telling.
“One of the things always at the top of my mind are the time and training demands on our student-athletes,” he says. “They’re in college to get an education. So many times we forget these are not professionals. When they’re done with a game, they don’t fly to the next city. They may study for a final exam or do homework.
“So I look at: What is the length of the season? What is the impact on their body? I don’t think it comes down to: Let’s just add two to four teams. I’m studying it all now from a holistic standpoint.”
Asked if he will have his own view or simply represent the wishes of the conference’s 14 presidents and chancellors, Warren replies: “They pay me to have an opinion. And I have no problem with articulating an opinion. But (I’ll be) doing it in the prism (of ) what is the right thing to do for our conference, for intercollegiate athletics, for society and ultimately for our student-athletes.”
5. A warm goodbye
Speaking of helmets, Warren displays a meaningful one in his office.
It has the signatures of about a dozen Vikings players from Big Ten schools, including Kirk Cousins (Michigan State), Ben Gedeon (Michigan), Ameer Abdullah (Nebraska), Stefon Diggs (Maryland), Pat Elflein (Ohio State) and Ifeadi Odenigbo (Northwestern).
“I got called down to the (practice) field,” Warren says. “They surprised me with that.”
6. A unique plan
Warren earned his law degree from Notre Dame in 1990 and taught there after establishing a sports and entertainment company. While in his 20s, he persuaded an All-America defensive lineman — Chris Zorich — to become his first client.
Zorich recalls how Warren sent him a binder with a variety of form letters to use after his clients made contacts in the business world.
Dear BLANK,
It was a pleasure meeting you …
Warren also faxed his clients talking points before cocktail parties so, as Zorich jokes, “we wouldn’t sound like dumb athletes.”
“He is amazing,” Zorich says. “No one will outwork him. He brings something extra to everything he does. If the (Vikings) stadium is four walls and a roof, he will make it four walls, a roof and a breastfeeding room.”
7. A legacy
Warren is the sixth commissioner in the 125-year history of the Big Ten, joining John Griffith (1922-44), Kenneth “Tug” Wilson (1945-61), William Reed (1961-71), Wayne Duke (1971-89) and Delany (1989-2020).
Portraits of the five men greet Warren as he enters his office each day.
“This is a unique conference,” he says. “Incredible opportunities. With the history and tradition, that creates longevity — or the potential for longevity.”
8. An open door
The Big Ten hired Warren in June, but he remained with the Vikings as chief operating officer. He started Sept. 16 in a transitional role, learning from Delany.
Warren worked in a conference room that connects to the commissioner’s office, and the door was always open so Warren could hear half the conversations.
“It was great to have the historian right there,” he says. “I’m so grateful that Jim took the time, energy and effort to do it.”
9. A trailblazer
The highest-ranking African-American executive working on the business side for an NFL team is now the first black commissioner of a Power Five conference.
Warren is interested in studying other Big Ten trailblazers. Rutgers last year unveiled a statue of Paul Robeson, who earned 12 varsity letters as the school’s third African-American student. Upon graduating in 1919, Robeson earned a law degree from Columbia and earned worldwide acclaim as a singer and actor.
“A true African-American Renaissance person,” Warren says.
Warren often asks during job interviews: If you were to embark on a cross-country driving trip, which three people dead or alive would you want in the car? I turn the tables and pose that question to him.
“Paul Robeson,” he says. “Jackie Robinson, to have a really detailed discussion. Mother Teresa, to ask why. And I would hope we have a larger car or SUV to include Helen Keller.”
10. A full day
Upon arriving in Rosemont around 6 a.m., Warren typically prepares for his first meeting and then does cardio and lifts weights from 6:45 to 7:30.
Then he leads a company that produced $759 million of revenue in 2018, one with 50 employees and about 10,000 student-athletes.
“This is a spectacular place,” he says. He wants the Big Ten to take a leadership role on issues such as mental health and wellness, voter registration and financial literacy.
“I want our student-athletes to understand: How does the stock market work?” he says. “What is the Dow Jones Industrial Average? What’s the difference between a stock and a bond? What’s the time value of money?”
As our remaining time whittles away, Warren tells me: “Keep encouraging your kids. Every trip we made, I took them to a college campus. We took Powers to a Blackhawks game and got him a Patrick Kane jersey. He still talks about it.”