Richard Jefferson, Jennie Finch Arizona respresentatives on first Big 12 Alumni Council

LAS VEGAS — Arizona softball great Jennie Finch and basketball standout Richard Jefferson are part of the first Big 12 Alumni Council, announced by the conference Wednesday morning here at the Allegiant Stadium ahead of the second day of the Big 12 Football Media Days.

Membership of the Big 12 Alumni Council includes:

Jefferson and Finch are members of Arizona’s Hall of Fame and very visible diplomats of the athletic program.

Jefferson played basketball at Arizona from 1998 to 2001, averaging 11.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. He was part of the Wildcats’ run to the 2001 national championship game. He was inducted into the Pac-12 Basketball Hall of Honor in 2012. He won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 and is now a sports analyst at ESPN.

He made a lasting impact on Arizona by pledging $3.5 million towards a basketball and volleyball practice facility that now bears his name. The multi-million dollar gift is believed to be the largest donation made by a professional athlete to their alma mater. 

Finch played softball for Mike Candrea and the Wildcats from 1999 to 2002. She led Arizona to the 2001 Women’s College World Series championship and was named an All-American. She also led the United States to a gold medal at the 2004 Olympics and silver medal at the 2008 Olympics. She also pitched for the Chicago Bandits of the National Pro Fastpitch League from 2005 to 2010.

Time magazine rated her as the most famous softball player in history. In 2010, Finch retired from softball to focus on her family. In August 2011, she started working at ESPN as analyst for National Pro Fastpitch and college softball games.

She now runs her Jennie Finch Softball Camps at various sites.

“I’m thrilled to serve on the first-ever Big 12 Alumni Council,” former BYU QB and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Steve Young said in a press release. “This is an incredibly exciting time for the Big 12, and I look forward to being a resource for Commissioner Yormark and his team as the Conference continues to thrive.”

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark: “The Big 12 Conference is home to thousands of student-athlete alumni who have had great success on and off the field following their time on campus. As we enter into a new chapter as a 16-team league, the insights and perspectives of the Big 12 Alumni Council will be an incredible resource.”

The Big 12 Alumni Council is comprised of 32 former student-athletes from men’s and women’s programs across each Big 12 institution. The council was created to leverage the experience and expertise of some of the Big 12’s most notable student-athlete alumni as the conference enters a new era. These alumni will provide guidance and insights surrounding a variety of topics, including brand building, athlete relations, storytelling, digital content and much more.

In turn, each council member will receive a variety of resources and amenities, including networking access to the Big 12’s Business Advisory Board for professional networking, league support of council member’s community initiatives, media opportunities on behalf of the league and VIP access to all Big 12 championships and conference events.

The council will be overseen by Yormark and VP of Communications & Strategy Clark Williams.

The council will kick off in August as the Big 12 officially becomes a 16-team league.