CRAIG THOMPSON

COMMISSIONER

Craig Thompson was the Mountain West Conference's first employee when he was named Commissioner on Oct. 15, 1998. Ever since, Thompson has navigated the newest NCAA Division I conference through the ever-changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics. As the league enters its 10th season of competition in 2008-09, Thompson continues to create and improve the opportunities for MWC institutions and student-athletes to be successful both academically and athletically.

Since the Mountain West Conference opened its doors on January 4, 1999, Thompson has been committed to excellence in intercollegiate athletics, while promoting the academic missions of its member institutions. Progressive in its approach, the MWC has flourished under the guidance of Commissioner Thompson and continues to cultivate opportunities for student-athletes to compete at the highest level, while fostering academic achievement and sportsmanship. He has been instrumental in negotiating nearly $230 million in television revenue, directed the league through expansion with the addition of Texas Christian University and has been an innovator in the postseason bowl structure as MWC teams have participated in five inaugural bowl games. Also, the MWC was the only conference to experiment with a coaches challenge element in its instant replay system and was one of two conferences to launch Kids College, STAR Sportsmanship and STAR Coaching for children ages 6-14.

His leadership and vision has helped the conference enhance its television revenue and exposure through revolutionary agreements with CBS College Sports Network (formerly CSTV) and Comcast to become the first major collegiate athletic conference to launch a dedicated sports channel featuring exclusive programming around its nine athletic programs, as well as conference news. This vision has guaranteed greater levels of television exposure for all MWC sports and has resoundingly met the fundamental goals of preferred start times, competition on select days of the week and enhanced revenue.

The advent of the new television model began with the league's partnership with CBS College Sports and an agreement giving the fastest-growing independent cable network exclusive rights to all Conference events through many means of media, including cable and satellite television coverage, national over-the-air and satellite radio, video-on-demand and online broadcast rights. A succession of events has improved the model, including the CBS purchase of the former CSTV and the merger with Comcast SportsNet to form the centerpiece of the relationship - The Mtn. - MountainWest Sports Network. The historic launch of The Mtn. on Sept. 1, 2006 has led to the formation of a second such network and perhaps more in the future.

Thompson has been instrumental in strengthening the position of the Mountain West in the current Bowl Championship Series (BCS) structure. In 2004, the inaugural step for all Mountain West teams was accomplished when the University of Utah finished the regular season with an 11-0 record and ranked sixth in the BCS standings. The Utes became the first team from a non-automatic-qualifying conference to play in a BCS game, defeating Big East champion Pittsburgh (35-7) in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl on January 1, 2005. Thompson subsequently spearheaded an effort to provide better access into the BCS system and beginning with the 2006 season the MWC champion has now nearly tripled its opportunity to participate in a BCS bowl. In addition, annual BCS revenue has more than doubled.

Through its first nine years of competition, the MWC has participated in 31 bowl games. In an attempt to provide more opportunities, Thompson has helped create five new bowl games in which MWC members could participate. In 2007, the Mountain West Conference posted the best win percentage among the 11 conferences that make up the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and claimed the 2007-08 ESPN Bowl Challenge Cup for the second time in four years. The MWC sent a record five teams into postseason action and finished with a 4-1 (.800) mark. The Mountain West earned its first Bowl Challenge Cup after registering a 2-1 record in bowl competition during the 2004 season and is the second conference (ACC) to win the trophy twice since the award's inception in 2002-03.

Prior to his current role, Thompson served as the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference for nearly eight years and as the only commissioner of the American South Conference prior to the merger of the two leagues in 1991.

During his eight years at the Sun Belt, he spent the majority of his time addressing national trends and challenges in intercollegiate athletics, television exposure, issues relating to conference membership and promoting corporate involvement. In 1997-98, the Sun Belt instituted a comprehensive sportsmanship policy, which earned Thompson designation as a 1998 Sports Ethics Fellow by the Institute for International Sport. Under Thompson's leadership, the Sun Belt was active in expansion as it continued to strengthen its posture nationally, adding Florida International University and the University of Denver.

Thompson is an integral part of the national landscape in intercollegiate athletics, holding many prestigious NCAA posts. He is currently on the NCAA Football Board of Directors and a member of the BCS administration. Thompson also is a member on the College Football Officiating Board of Managers, LLC, and on the Task Force on Commercial Activity in Intercollegiate Athletics. He also has served on the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee (1995-2000) and was appointed Chair of the committee in July 1999, completing his term September 1, 2000.

Over the tenure of his career, Thompson has been a member of the Executive Committee and the Director's Cup Committee of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), as well as the governing NCAA Council and various Council subcommittees. He has also played a prominent role in hosting numerous men's and women's NCAA postseason basketball tournaments in St. Louis, Atlanta, New Orleans and Denver.

Prior to its merger with the Sun Belt, Thompson served as the first and only commissioner of the American South Conference, which boasted an NCAA national champion in women's basketball during its first year. The American South also gained immediate national cable television exposure on ESPN and sent numerous teams into NCAA postseason play during the conference's four-year history.

Preceding his move to commissioner, Thompson served four years as the Director of Communications for the Metro Conference in Atlanta. While at the Metro, he directed the communications operations and administered conference championship events. Thompson originated the Metro Conference Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association, began a weekly radio program with over 300 affiliate stations, and originated a weekly satellite video program involving all Metro institutions. He also took on administrative duties such as coordination of officials, scheduling of tournament and regular-season play, and handling of legislative rules interpretations.

Thompson graduated from the University of Minnesota with an undergraduate degree in journalism. Following graduation, he spent two years as assistant sports information director at Kansas State University, earning numerous CoSIDA publication awards. He then spent three years as director of public relations and promotions for the NBA's Kansas City Kings.

Thompson and his wife, Carla, reside in Colorado Springs, Colo., The Thompsons have a son (Ted) and a daughter (Emma).