Craig Donald Thompson (born August 1, 1956) is an American athletic administrator. He became the commissioner of the Mountain West Conference (MW) upon the formation of the league in 1998 and served until retiring from the position at the end of 2022.[1]
 Thompson at a press conference in 2016 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 1956 Estherville, Iowa, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Minnesota |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1978–1980 | Kansas State (assistant SID) |
| 1980–1983 | Kansas City Kings (dir. or public relations) |
| 1983–1987 | Metro (director of communications) |
| 1987–1991 | American South (commissioner) |
| 1991–1998 | Sun Belt (commissioner) |
| 1998–2022 | Mountain West (commissioner) |
Thompson previously served as commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference from 1991 to 1998 and as the sole commissioner in the history of the American South Conference from 1987 to 1991. Thompson attended the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1978 with a bachelor's degree in journalism.[2] After graduating, Thompson held several positions in public relations for Kansas State University, the NBA's Kansas City Kings and the Metro Conference. Thompson was named the first commissioner of the Mountain West Conference on October 15, 1998.[3]
On September 14, 2022, Thompson announced that he would retire effective on December 31 of that year.[4] The MW announced on November 11 that Thompson would be replaced by Gloria Nevarez, previously commissioner of the West Coast Conference.[5]
References
edit- ^ "Craig Thompson". themw.com. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- ^ Murray, Chris (August 18, 2017). "Face of the Mountain West: Craig Thompson has been conference's anchor for 19 years". Reno Gazette-Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^ Call, Jeff (October 16, 1998). "'Breakaway 8' select commissioner". Deseret News. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
- ^ "Craig Thompson Stepping Down as Mountain West Commissioner After 24 Years" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. September 14, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "Gloria Nevarez Named Mountain West Commissioner" (Press release). Mountain West Conference. November 11, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.