Kansas Athletic Director Lew Perkins has topped the public voting in TIME Magazine’s poll of the best sports executives in the world. Perkins is the only college sports administrator to make the list of 35 individuals, which includes team owners, team managers, league commissioners and other executives from around the world.

"It is a great honor just to be included on this list," Perkins said. "It is tremendously flattering to actually win it. But this vote wasn’t just a reflection of me. Chancellor Hemenway, our faculty, our coaches and our student-athletes all play an important role in reaching our ultimate goal – Unparalleled Excellence."

Perkins garnered an average score of 80 among the 3,022 votes he received. Sir Alex Furguson, manager of the Manchester United soccer team, finished second with an average score of 74. John Henry, principal owner of the Boston Red Sox, finished third, just ahead of Danny Ainge, general manager of the Boston Celtics, and Jerry Reese, general manager of the New York Giants.

Those who ranked No. 6 through No. 35 include: 6. Naser Shahalemi (National Basketball Association of Afghanistan president); 7. Robert Kraft (New England Patriots owner); 8. Roger Goodell (NFL commissioner); 9. Richard Scudamore (Premier League Soccer chief executive); 10. Randy Bernard (Professional Bull Riders CEO); 11. Jerry Colangelo (USA Basketball director); 12. Bob Bowman (Major League Baseball Advanced Media CEO); 13. Massimo Moratti (Inter of Milan Soccer CEO); 14. Don Garber (MLS commissioner); 15. Carolyn Bivens (LPGA commissioner); 16. Latit Kumar Lodi (Indian Cricket Premier League chairman and commissioner); 17. Sergi Kushchenko (CSKA Basketball Club president); 18. Roman Abramovich (Chelsea Football Club owner); 19. Tim Finchem (PGA Tour commissioner); 20. Larry Scott (WTA Tour CEO); 21. David Stern (NBA commissioner); 22. Sam Zell (Chicago Cubs owner); 23. Julio Grondona (Argentine Football Association president, FIFA vice president); 24. Irvin Khoza (Africa’s Soccer World Cup 2010 chairman); 25. Gary Bettman (NHL commissioner); 26. Tom Hicks & George Gillett (Liverpool Football Club co-owners); 27. Max Mosley (International Automobile Federation [FIA] president); 28. Hank Steinbrenner (New York Yankees part owner); 29. Donald Sterling (LA Clippers owner); 30. Clayton Bennett (OKC Thunder owner); 31. Bud Selig (MLB commissioner); 32. Liu Peng (Chinese Olympic Committee president); 33. Matt Milen (Detroit Lions president and CEO); 34. James Dolan (New York Knicks and Rangers owner/Madison Square Garden chairman); 35. Ricardo Teixera (Brazil Soccer Confederation president)