Southern Conference hires Ohio AD Jim Schaus as commissioner

Published Jun. 4, 2019 12:41 p.m. ET

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — The Southern Conference has selected Ohio athletic director Jim Schaus as its new commissioner.

Schaus, who has been Ohio's athletic director for the last 11 years, begins his new job July 1. He replaces John Iamarino, who announced his retirement in March after heading the Southern Conference for 13 years.

The Southern Conference is holding an introductory news conference for Schaus on Wednesday. Schaus said in a statement that "I look forward to working with the staff and conference membership to build upon past successes in the quest to be the premier mid-major conference in the country."

Ohio has named Amy Dean interim athletic director.

Southern Conference officials say Schaus inherited a $2.3 million budget shortfall when he arrived at Ohio but delivered a balanced budget each of the last 11 years.

Schaus was Wichita State's athletic director from 1999-2008. He also has worked at Oregon, Cincinnati, UTEP and Northern Illinois.