Roy Kramer, SEC commissioner and BCS architect, dies at 96 - ESPN

Roy Kramer, who served as SEC commissioner for 12 years and was the force behind the creation of the Bowl Championship Series, has died at the age of 96, the SEC announced Friday.

Kramer became one of the most powerful officials in college football, overseeing SEC sports during a period in which the conference became the most financially successful in the nation.

«Roy Kramer will be remembered for his resolve through challenging times, his willingness to innovate in an industry driven by tradition, and his unwavering belief in the value of student-athletes and education,» SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said in a statement. «His legacy is not merely in championships or commissioner's decisions, but in a lifetime devoted to lifting student-athletes and believing in the power of sport to shape the lives of young people. Though he stepped away from formal roles years ago, the foundations he built, on campuses within the SEC and across college sports, will resonate for generations to come.»

Kramer worked out lucrative TV deals for the SEC and instituted an annual conference championship game — the first conference championship game in NCAA Division I-A history — after the SEC expanded to 12 teams in 1992.

The BCS — using a complex formula to place teams in the Sugar, Fiesta, Orange and Rose bowls — may be considered Kramer's most notable and controversial endeavor. Kramer became head of the BCS committee in 1995.

He also served 12 years as athletic director at Vanderbilt, beginning in 1978 until he was named SEC commissioner in 1990.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.