With their eye on building a new stadium, the Bears have named Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren their president/CEO.
He will replace Ted Phillips, who announced in September that he would retire at the end of the season after 23 years in the role. He’ll be the fifth president in Bears’ 102-plus-year history, following founder George Halas, his son “Mugs,” eldest grandson Michael McCaskey and Phillips. Phillips replaced Michael McCaskey in 1999 after serving as the Bears’ controller, finance director and vice president of operations for a combined 16 years.
Warren, who turned 59 in November, is just the second Bears president — alongside Phillips — not related to Halas.
“I join the Chicago Bears with gratitude and drive to carry out and build upon the legacy and spirit of this founding franchise and my predecessors,” Warren said in a statement. “This is a franchise that is respected in all of professional sports, and I am humbled to be selected as the next President & CEO of the Chicago Bears.”
Chairman George McCaskey called him a “man of integrity, respect and excellence, all of which are critical core values of the Chicago Bears,” in a statement.
“He is a proven leader who has many times stepped outside of his comfort zone to challenge status quo for unconventional growth and prosperity,” he said. “In this role, Warren will serve in the primary leadership position of the franchise to help bring the next Super Bowl championship trophy home to Bears fans.”
Warren is appealing to the Bears because of his experience in not only the Big Ten but as the chief operating officer of the Vikings when they built U.S. Bank Stadium. Some inside Halas Hall believe the stadium, which opened in 2016, to be a model for the Bears’ Arlington Heights project. The Bears are in escrow on the 326-acre Arlington International Racecourse property and hope to close soon.
Warren, who had 18 months left on his Big Ten contract, interviewed with the Bears in December. At the time, the Big Ten released a statement saying he “regularly receives unique opportunities and interest for his expertise.”
He lives in the Chicago area; the Big Ten is based in Rosemont.
A Phoenix native, Warren played college basketball at Penn and Grand Canyon. He averaged 20 points per game at GCU from 1984-86 and was put in their Hall of Fame in 2012.
He’s a 1990 Notre Dame Law School grad and former agent who worked for the Rams and Lions — and later a law firm — before joining the Vikings in 2005. He was named COO 10 years later and then, in 2019, the first African American Power 5 commissioner.
One of his first duties as commissioner was unprecedented — dealing with the coronavirus. He postponed the 2020 fall season amid blowback from players, coaches and then-Ohio State star Justin Fields. Fields, who is now the Bears’ quarterback, launched a petition to reinstate sports in the conference. Warren reinstated them a month later and the Big Ten played an abridged season.
Warren shocked the college sports world last summer when he lured UCLA and USC to the Big Ten from the Pac-12 — they will join in 2024. Buoyed by the attractiveness of the Los Angeles market, the Big Ten negotiated a lucrative media rights deal less than two months later.
The Bears’ executive structure under Warren will be telling. Currently, general manager Ryan Poles reports directly to chairman George McCaskey, a change that he enacted a year ago, knowing Phillips’ retirement was likely near.
“Kevin is going to be a tremendous resource and I am excited to get started with him,” Poles said in a statement. “In my time spent with him during the interview process, it quickly became apparent his resumé and business acumen will be a powerful asset to helping improve our organization and ultimately reach our goal to be a championship organization.”
McCaskey, Phillips and Tanesha Wade, the Bears’ senior vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, led the interview process with help from search firm Nolan Partners. In September, George McCaskey said the team was open to candidates with different backgrounds but cited traits the team thought were essential: “leadership, vision, humility [and] consensus-building.”
Warren will be introduced at a news conference Tuesday.
