BATON ROUGE - Former SEC Commissioner Mike Slive has passed away at the age of 77.

Succeeding Roy Kramer, Slive served as commissioner from 2002 until his retirement in 2015.

Throughout his time in the Southeastern Conference, Slive "led the adoption of a new and effective league-wide NCAA compliance initiative, engineered landmark television contracts, including the launch of the SEC Network, and guided the conference through expansion, welcoming two new institutions," the SEC said.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our friend and former Commissioner Mike Slive.

His impact was felt far beyond the footprint of the SEC. His presence will be missed. https://t.co/Sjvo5Ws8mL pic.twitter.com/7y0dMXXmAa

— Southeastern Conference (@SEC) May 16, 2018

"The SEC enjoyed unprecedented championship success under Slive's leadership," the SEC said in a release.