Sports Lawyer Named NCAA Senior VP of Championships
The NCAA announced yesterday that Lynda Tealer will be its new senior vice president of championships. Tealer is currently a deputy athletics director at Florida and has spent the past 29 years in college athletics administration.
As NCAA senior vice president of championships, Tealer will oversee 84 NCAA championships, including functions in event operations, media coordination and statistics, playing rules, ticket operations and marketing, merchandise and licensing, and social and digital media.
“I am excited about the opportunity to lead NCAA championships through a period of growth and positive change,” Tealer said. “It’s an exciting time to join the team in Indianapolis as we work together to make championship participation the pinnacle of a young person’s college experience and a highlight for families, fans and all who take part in our events.”
Tealer joins the NCAA senior management team after having spent the past 21 years at Florida, where she oversaw the university’s women’s programs plus men’s basketball.
Besides serving as Florida’s deputy athletics director, she is also a University Athletic Association board member at Florida and the athletics department’s deputy Title IX coordinator.
Tealer has served in several leadership positions in the NCAA governance structure. She is currently chair of the Division I Council and is a member of the Division I Board of Directors and NCAA Board of Governors. She has served on the council’s Competition Oversight Committee, NIL Working Group and Council Coordination Committee. She also held roles on the Division I Transformation Committee and the Southeastern Conference/ESPN Content Board.
“Lynda’s background working with student-athletes, coaches and administrators, not to mention her time competing as a student-athlete, make her an ideal candidate to shape the future of our championships,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said. “She’s intimately familiar with the Association’s governance structure and brings decades of leadership experience.”
Tealer’s responsibilities at Florida include leading critical functions, such as human resources, information technology, legal affairs, student-athlete health and welfare, and budgeting. Additionally, she directed employee recruitment efforts, contract negotiations and various support and retention initiatives for head coaches and administrators. She is also a liaison to the university’s general counsel and oversees legal affairs for the athletics department.
Before her time at Florida, Tealer was the associate commissioner of the Southland Conference from 2000-03. Her primary duties involved the oversight of league championships and conference scheduling, as well as serving as the conference’s senior woman administrator.
From 1995-2000, Tealer was employed by Santa Clara as an assistant athletics director, serving as the director of compliance and supervising the school’s men’s basketball, women’s basketball, cross country and volleyball programs. She also was tasked with directing the academic support office and sports health department and served as Santa Clara’s senior woman administrator.
“Lynda’s exceptional qualities as a leader, manager and person have shone brightly throughout her time at the University of Florida,” Florida Athletics Director Scott Stricklin said. “Her contributions leave an indelible mark on our institution, and we are immensely grateful for all she has done for the Gators. There is no doubt that Lynda will continue to inspire and lead with the same passion and integrity that have earned her universal admiration and respect.”
Tealer received her bachelor’s degree in business administration at San Diego, where she excelled as a four-year member of the women’s basketball team. She went on to earn her law degree from Texas.