October 16, 2018
Bill Hancock Executive Director College Football Playoff
Bill Hancock has achieved a unique trifecta at the highest echelon of intercollegiate athletics. He was the first full-time director of the NCAA Final Four, the first executive director of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) and the first executive director of the College Football Playoff.
Using experiences gained during his remarkable five-decade career Hancock led the conference commissioners and university presidents in creating the playoff. Then he directed a talented staff in launching the event from scratch. The playoff is a phenomenal success; in its first year, it was named Sports Event of the Year by SportsBusiness Journal. His five-decade career began in 1971 when he became assistant sports information director at the University of Oklahoma.
He spent 16 years with the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, 13 years as its director. In 2005, he was appointed administrator of the BCS. He became executive director in 2009 and was named to the same role for the playoff when it was created in 2012. Hancock has served on the United States Olympic Committee staff at 13 Olympic Games and two Pan American Games.
He has been inducted into the halls of fame of the state of Oklahoma, College Sports Information Directors and the All College Basketball Classic. A former newspaper editor, Bill has written two books. His memoir about the cross-country bicycle journey he undertook in the aftermath of his son's death, Riding With the Blue Moth, was among the top sports books after its release in October, 2005. It was re-issued in 2015. His second book, This One Day in Hobart is a history of his home town. He is married to his high school sweetheart, the former Nicki Perry.
