SWAC commissioner Charles McClelland receives contract extension.
Charles McClelland, the commissioner of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, has had his contract extended until the 2032–2033 academic year, the conference’s council of presidents and chancellors said on Friday. Since taking over as SWAC commissioner in the summer of 2018, McClelland has contributed to the league’s increased prominence in men’s basketball and football.
SWAC Council of Presidents and Chancellors Chairman Quinton T. Ross Jr. stated in a news release that “the Southwestern Athletic Conference has made significant strides towards becoming one of the most widely recognized and visible athletic conferences in the country over the course of the past five years.”
“Commissioner McClelland’s creative and energetic leadership has increased the availability of financial resources that have significantly influenced the overall experience of student-athletes while also helping our league rise to prominence on a national scale. Without a question, we are thrilled about our league’s prospects for growth under his direction.” In addition, McClelland was well-known in the latter half of the 2023–24 collegiate basketball season as the chairman of the Division I Men’s Basketball Committee, which chooses at-large teams and manages NCAA Tournament seeding for 68 teams.
As the committee’s inaugural chair, McClelland was the first member of an HBCU league or organization. His five-year term on the committee came to an end during the previous season.
