Myles Brand was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1942. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in philosophy from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1964, and earned a PhD in the same subject from University of Rochester in 1967. He pursued a career as a faculty member and administrator at several universities before being named president of University of Oregon in 1989, a position in which he stayed until 1994.

On April 14, 1994, the Indiana University (IU) Board of Trustees unanimously elected Myles Brand as the sixteenth president of the university, and he began his post in August 1994. During his tenure at IU, Brand focused on increasing the university's research profile through grants and private donations, partnerships with other public institutions and private industries, and the establishment of new academic units and research centers. He also consistently engaged news outlets while serving at IU. He hosted the WTIU public broadcast television show "Pro& Con" 1994-2002 and addressed the National Press Club on the subjects of academic reform and intercollegiate athletics in 2001.

In the fall of 2002, Myles Brand announced his departure from IU and new appointment as National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) president. Myles Brand served as the president of the NCAA, located in Indianapolis, from 2003 until his death in 2009. He became known for his efforts to reform college sports and improve academic standards for student-athletes. Brand's initiatives included the first implementation of the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) system (2003) and the creation of the NCAA's first office of diversity and inclusion (2005).

Brand was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in January 2009 and died on September 16, 2009, at the age of 67. The NCAA and IU marked his death by co-hosting a live tribute event at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, and it aired nationally on CBS College Sports Network.