Pac-12 Conference

2016-17 Year In Review

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2016-17 PAC-12 YEAR IN REVIEW ii COMMISSIONER INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION: FROM THE COMMISSIONER We at the Pac-12 Conference are proud to present this review of the conference's 2016-17 academic year. A year after we celebrated our centennial, the student-athletes and coaches of our 12 universities made clear that they intend our second century to be as illustrious as our first. They renewed the Pac-12's hold on the title "Conference of Champions®," winning 13 NCAA Championships and pushing the Pac-12 over the 500-mark in all-time NCAA team championships. In addition, our student-athletes distinguished themselves at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning 55 medals and representing 47 different countries. The Pac-12's West Coast mindset and commitment to excellence and innovation drives the vision of our 12 university presidents and chancellors, who together form the conference's governing board. That vision has led them to take a leadership role in providing the best possible experience to student-athletes. This year, in conjunction with the other four Autonomy Conferences, we enacted rule changes to rebalance the time demands placed on our student-athletes and give them more control over their schedules. Pac-12 presidents and chancellors also continued to strongly support the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health and Well-Being Initiative, which funds millions of dollars in research grants which are annually awarded to doctors, athletic trainers, and medical research professionals on our campuses who are studying everything from head trauma to hydration. For the first time this year, the Pac-12 co-hosted a national conference on sport-related concussion that included important discussions on new data from the largest concussion study in history. Meanwhile, our universities' commitment to a truly independent Pac-12 Networks enabled us to provide exposure to far more women's and Olympic sports events than any other conference network, while expanding our distribution and embracing innovative ways of transmitting games to our fans. Reflecting our universities' global reach, this year also saw the Pac-12 deepen and expand its globalization initiative as we hosted the second annual Pac-12 China Game and sent a team of basketball all-stars to Australia. Pac-12 Global continues to provide important learning and cultural opportunities for student- athletes and open doors for our member universities in promotional, research, and academic capacities. So, as you read this annual report, I hope you will see why we take such pride what our conference is achieving – on the field, on the court, in the classroom, and around the world. These are the accomplishments of innumerable coaches, assistant coaches, administrators, doctors, athletic trainers, and faculty members, as well as our own staff at the Pac-12 and Pac-12 Networks. Most of all, they are the accomplishments of the remarkable young people who choose to play sports and pursue higher education at our 12 universities. They inspire me every day, and fill me with excitement and anticipation for the years ahead. Larry Scott, Pac-12 Commisioner

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