Definition: Legends and Leaders are the names the Big Ten Conference gave to its two divisions in late 2010--divisions made necessary by the league's expansion, with Nebraska, to 12 teams.

The names were announced on Dec. 12, 2010 by league commissioner Jim Delany. Delany explained that the names were intended to "honor our history and traditions, reflect our core values and characteristics, and tell our story.


“‘Legends’ is a nod to our history and to the people associated with our schools who are widely recognized as legends—student-athletes, coaches, alumni and faculty. ‘Leaders’ looks to the future as we remain committed to fostering leaders, the student-athletes who are encouraged to lead in their own way for the rest of their lives, in their families, in their communities and in their chosen professions,” Delany said in a statement. “We’re proud of our many legends and even prouder of our member institutions that develop future leaders every day.”  

Despite Delany's explanation, the divisions names were met with near-universal scorn from both fans and the media. The league acknowledged the backlash, but announced in January 2011 that that it would keep the names at least through the 2011-2012 season.