Sun Belt tabs Atlantic 10 official as new commissioner

Published Mar. 20, 2019 1:47 p.m. ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Sun Belt Conference has named Atlantic 10 Conference associate commissioner Keith Gill its new commissioner.

The conference said Tuesday Gill will become the first African-American commissioner of a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.

Gill was a four-year letterman in football at Duke and has worked in athletic administration since 1995 for the NCAA, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma and as athletic director at American University and at Richmond before joining the Atlantic 10.

The Sun Belt includes Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana, ULM, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy as football members. Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-Arlington compete in the conference in all other sports.

Gill replaces outgoing commissioner Karl Benson starting on May 1.