Welcome Commissioner Warren
1/2/2020 3:19:20 PM | General
Kevin Warren officially begins his duties as the sixth commissioner of the Big Ten Conference today, Jan. 2. He is the first African American Commissioner to lead an Autonomy Five conference and most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League where he worked since 2005. He was the highest ranking African American executive working on the business side for a team in the NFL and was the first African American COO in NFL history.
Warren worked in the NFL for 21 seasons including 15 with the Vikings, where he directed the team’s focus on creating departmental synergy and collaboration, increasing financial profitability for the franchise, improving communication, developing leadership initiatives, implementing a platform focusing on a positive community impact through the new Minnesota Vikings Foundation, launching a women’s initiative program, creating an elevated fan experience, and building a world-class franchise focused on the tenets of hard work, ethics, financial profitability, community service and a “best-in-class” mentality.
In September of 2013, Warren’s reputation and NFL experience were recognized when he was named a member of the NFL Committee on Workplace Diversity, which is committed to enhancing and promoting diversity at every level of the NFL. In February of 2017, during Super Bowl LI festivities in Houston, Warren was honored with the Texas Southern University Pioneer Award, recognizing Kevin’s ground-breaking role as an NFL executive and his commitment to championing diversity. Warren was also honored as a member of the Sports Business Journal 2019 Champions class.
Prior to joining the Vikings, Warren worked for the international law firm of Greenberg Traurig (2003-2005) playing a critical leadership role with the Wilf Ownership Group deal team during the acquisition of the Minnesota Vikings. Additionally, he spent two seasons (2001-2003) with the Detroit Lions as Senior Vice President of Business Operations & General Counsel and four seasons (1997-2001) with the St. Louis Rams as Vice President of Football Administration, and Vice President of Player Programs and Legal Counsel. Warren was an integral part of the Rams organization when the team won Super Bowl XXXIV over the Tennessee Titans in January of 2000.
As a freshman on the University of Pennsylvania basketball team, Warren was a member of the Quakers’ Ivy League championship team in 1982. A native of Tempe, Ariz., he completed his college education at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, earning his undergraduate degree. Warren scored 1,118 points during his career and earned GTE/CoSIDA Academic All-America honors as a senior along with NAIA Academic All-America honors and NAIA District 7 Basketball Team honors as both a junior and senior. In March 2012, Warren was inducted into the GCU Athletics Hall of Fame, the 16th individual inducted and only the fifth basketball player to earn the prestigious honor in the University’s history. In November of 2019, Warren was inducted into the 42nd annual W.P. Carey School of Business Alumni Hall of Fame at Arizona State University. Warren earned his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from GCU in 1986, his MBA from Arizona State University in 1988, and his Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 1990. Warren is a licensed attorney with the State Bar of Kansas, Michigan, and the District of Columbia.
