Rick Chryst

Richard "Rick" Chryst is a former commissioner of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) from 1999 to 2009.

Chryst attended and played baseball at the University of Notre Dame from 1979–1983. He earned a BA in economics in 1983.

In 1983, after graduating from Notre Dame, Chryst was hired as the assistant sports information director at the United States Naval Academy. He then attended Duke University, where he earned a Juris Doctor with Honors from Duke University School of Law in 1989. Later that year, Chryst worked in the administration of the Southwest Conference until it dissolved in 1996. He then became the assistant commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

On May 11, 1999, Chryst replaced Jerry Ippoliti as commissioner of the MAC. As commissioner, Chryst made an effort to put the conference and its teams in the national spotlight. He signed a TV contract with ESPN to air MAC football games nationally. He was able to do this by playing games on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, which are uncommon nights for football. He also moved the football championship game to Ford Field in Detroit, and the basketball tournament to Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. Both were formerly played at MAC school stadiums/arenas. Chryst departed his post at the completion of his contract on June 30, 2009, in order to pursue other opportunities.

He is the brother of the Wisconsin Badgers head coach Paul Chryst and San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst. Their father, George, was an assistant at Wisconsin and then became the head coach and athletic director at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

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