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SOUTHLAND BOARD EXTENDS COMMISSIONER'S CONTRACT

Tom Burnett nears five years of service to SLC.

June 12, 2007

FRISCO, Texas - The Southland Conference Board of Directors has announced it has extended the contract of fifth-year commissioner Tom Burnett through June 30, 2009. The announcement comes following the Board's annual business meeting in Galveston, Texas, on June 1.

"The board of directors of the Southland Conference is very pleased to extend Tom Burnett's contract as our Commission," Southland Conference Board Chairman and Sam Houston State University president James Gaertner said. The Southland Conference has made excellent progress on many fronts in the past several years; and Tom's leadership and vision have been a big part of that success. The board looks forward to a continuation of Tom's guidance in the years to come."

Burnett was named the Southland's seventh commissioner on December 23, 2002, and began full-time duties with the league on Feb. 1, 2003. "I'm again honored and flattered to continue serving the Southland membership," Burnett said. "I look forward to working with the Board, the athletic administrators and coaches in giving over 3,000 Southland Conference student-athletes the best possible athletic and academic experience."

During Burnett's tenure as the league's chief executive officer, the Southland has expanded to 12 member institutions, its largest configuration in the conference's four-plus decades of existence.

In addition, the Conference has expanded its television agreements in recent years with ESPN, Fox Sports Net, College Sports Television and The America Channel.

The league also began a comprehensive corporate sponsorship program in 2004, and has developed partnerships with American Airlines, State Farm Insurance, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Capital One Bank, Josten's, and Aeropostale.

Burnett currently serves on the NCAA Football Board of Directors and the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel. He previously represented the Southland on the NCAA Division I Management Council and the Division I-AA (FCS) Governance Subcommittee.