The Sports Business Journal named Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long the best in the country on Wednesday night.

Long beat out other finalists in Kentucky’s Mitch Barnhart, Baylor’s Ian McCaw and Clemson’s Dan Radakovich to win the award, announced at a ceremony in New York.

In terms of football, Long served as the chairman of the first-ever College Football Playoff selection committee in 2014, enduring intense media and fan opinion, criticism and interest as the face of the sport’s new championship process.

“Sports Business Journal for me is a special one,” Long said after being named a finalist for the award in March, according to WholeHogSports.com. “I respect that publication and respect those people. It means something to me to be a finalist for that award.

“It talks more about our program. It’s the success of our coaches, what we’re doing on the field, what we’re doing off the field and what we’re doing financially. Hog fans should be very proud of what they’ve helped us do in a small state without a huge alumni population.”

Long also hired football coach Bret Bielema from Wisconsin prior to the 2013 football season. The Razorbacks are getting a lot of attention in preseason rankings. Sporting News even ranked Bielema as the third-best head coach in the entire SEC and 15th-best in the country.

The athletic director replaced the legendary Frank Broyles in 2008. He hired the controversial Bobby Petrino as football coach, and then dealt with the fallout when Petrino crashed his motorcycle and eventually had to admit to an extramarital affair with a staff member he pushed to get appointed.