Wayne Duke (November 9, 1928 – March 29, 2017) was an American collegiate sports executive who served as commissioner of the

Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

from 1963 to 1971, then as commissioner of the Big Ten Conference from 1971 to 1989.

Biography

Early life and education

A native of

Burlington, Iowa Burlington is a city in, and the county seat of, Des Moines County, Iowa, United States. The population was 23,982 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 26,839 population in 2000. Burlington is the center of a micropolitan area, which includes ...

, Wayne Duke graduated from the University of Iowa in 1950. He married Martha Buesch on June 11, 1950. He died on March 29, 2017.

Career

Duke began his career in college athletics publicity at the University of Northern Iowa and the University of Colorado. He joined the National Collegiate Athletic Association in 1952 as assistant to executive director Walter Byers. He was named commissioner of the Big Eight athletic conference in 1963 and served until 1971, when he was named commissioner of the Big Ten athletic conference. He retired as the Big Ten commissioner in 1989. A Big Ten scholarship for post-graduate studies is now awarded in his name.

Awards and honors

*1990: Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Iowa *2010: inductee,

National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a hall of fame and museum dedicated to men's college basketball. The museum is an integral portion of the College Basketball Experience created by the National ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Wayne 1928 births 2017 deaths Big Eight Conference commissioners Big Ten Conference commissioners National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees University of Iowa alumni People from Burlington, Iowa