Pac-12 hires former SMU boss Rick Hart as deputy commissioner with official return just six months away

The rebuilt Pac-12 on Wednesday took a significant step ahead of its return to competition with the appointment of a deputy commissioner to run the conference on a daily basis and help oversee all sports.

Rick Hart, who spent 13 years in charge of SMU’s athletic department, will serve as commissioner Teresa Gould’s chief lieutenant.

Hart has decades of experience on the front lines of college sports and helped guide SMU’s transition into the ACC. He worked at Oklahoma and North Carolina...