The Big Ten announced on Tuesday that Kevin Warren, the chief operating officer of the Minnesota Vikings, will become the conference's new commissioner.

Warren, 55, was the first African-American COO of an NFL team when the Vikings hired him in 2015. According to the team's website, he has played "a critical role in all business, financial, legal and operational aspects related to U.S. Bank Stadium."

He has been a part of the NFL for 20 years, including two seasons with the Detroit Lions. He is a member of the NFL's committee on workplace diversity.

Warren will become the first African-American commissioner of a Power Five conference and replaces Jim Delany, the conference's commissioner since 1989. The 71-year-old announced he was stepping down earlier this year. Delany will officially step down on Jan. 1, 2020.

“I am absolutely honored to become the sixth commissioner of the Big Ten, a conference with such rich history, tradition, and respect,” Warren said in a statement. “The opportunity is an incredible and unique blend of my lifelong passion, commitment and experience. Positively impacting the lives of young adults has always been part of the fabric of my family and I will work tirelessly with our member schools to ensure that we are providing every possible best in class resource to enhance our students’ educational and athletic experience, as well as empower them for success upon graduation."

Warren will begin on Sept. 16, 2019, to begin the transition.

Delany is expected to earn close to $20 million in future bonuses.

Warren played college basketball at Penn and Grand Canyon University. He helped the Quakers win the 1982 Ivy League title and then averaged 20 points a game while at Grand Canyon.

He earned an MBA from Arizona State and a law degree from Notre Dame in 1990. He is a licensed to practice law in Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota and Washington, D.C.

“Kevin is a visionary leader, an experienced, successful and highly respected executive, and a skilled communicator who is uniquely positioned to continue the traditions of excellence that have become synonymous with the Big Ten Conference,” Michael A. McRobbie, president of Indiana University and chair of the executive search committee, said in a statement. “Over a remarkable and pioneering career, he has developed a reputation among his peers and colleagues as an individual of enormous character, integrity, knowledge and passion, who has dedicated the majority of his professional career to the empowerment of young people and the positive impact athletics can have on improving lives and our society.”

According to his Vikings bio, Warren, fresh out of law school, worked at a law firm with Mike Slive, later named SEC commissioner, "specializing in representation of universities charged with NCAA violations."

Before joining the Vikings, Warren worked for Greenberg Traurig (2003-05), which helped broker the dea for Ziggy Wilf to buy the team. Before then, he was the Detroit Lions' senior vice president of business operations (2001-03) and also the St. Louis Rams' vice president of football administration and vice president of player programs and legal counsel (1997-2001).