Commissioner ready to come out West, again

Steve Carp

Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1998 | 10:27 a.m.

Twenty years ago, Craig Thompson was looking to come to Las Vegas. But apparently, UNLV wasn't ready to welcome him then.

Fortunately for president Dr. Carol Harter and her institution, the new commissioner of what will likely be called the Mountain West Conference doesn't carry a grudge.

And if things work out the way the Nevada Development Authority hopes, Thompson soon may live in Las Vegas after all.

Thompson, who last weekend was named commissioner for the fledgling eight-team league, recalled the missed opportunity to work for then-sports information director Dominic Clark.

"I was ready to come out there and Dominic wanted to bring me to UNLV," Thompson said. "But at the last minute, Dominic told me they couldn't hire me because of some affirmative action thing.

"It just shows you what a small world it is. I might wind up living in Las Vegas after all. Certainly, I'll be there often with this job."

The NDA also will try to lure the league to Southern Nevada. Colorado Springs also is being considered as conference headquarters.

Thompson's background is in media relations, something which will come in handy when he tries to sell this new league to the nation.

"He's a bright, bright guy," UNLV athletic director Charles Cavagnaro said, recalling the 1980s when he and Thompson were in the old Metro Conference. "He's going to bring a lot of energy to our league."

Cavagnaro said UNLV wasn't the only one to miss the boat on Thompson.

"When Steve Hatchell left the Metro to go to the Orange Bowl, we made a mistake in not hiring Craig to replace him," Cavagnaro said. "But he was considered too young at the time. I think he was in his late 20s."

Cavagnaro said the job Thompson did in building the Sun Belt into a solid basketball league is evidence of his ability to take something from scratch and mold it into something viable.

"The visibility he got for that league and working within the system to do it, that's his strong suit," Cavagnaro said. "He brokers partnerships."

Thompson said one reason he accepted the multi-year deal last Thursday was what he viewed as a commitment to fielding a first-class, across-the-board conference.

"There's a real positive influence from this group," Thompson said from his home in Metairie, La. "There are tremendous resources to draw from.

"You've got Heisman Trophy winners. You've got Wooden Award winners. You've got teams that have won national championships. There's a tremendous history behind this group of institutions.

"But from a commissioner's perspective, there's a cohesion and a desire to succeed. That's what has me most excited."

Technically, Thompson begins his new job Jan. 1. But he'll be involved with the new league immediately. He'll be part of the final negotiations for a headquarters, visiting both Las Vegas and Colorado Springs in the next few weeks. He'll also be the point man for negotiations with the bowls and the networks.

"I think those are the top priority items, along with the headquarters, which need to be addressed," he said.

Thompson was a finalist for the WAC's commissioner's job back in 1994 which went to Karl Benson. He recently was a finalist for the Big 12's commissioner's post, which went to the Big Ten's Kevin Wieberg.

But Thompson believes this opportunity is right, even though it is going to be driven in large part by football, a sport he doesn't have a wealth of experience in. Thompson's strength is basketball. The Sun Belt doesn't play football. Neither did the American South Conference, where he was commissioner from 1987-91.

He also serves on the powerful NCAA men's basketball committee, which was another huge plus for the new league. New Mexico AD Rudy Davalos also is on that committee.

"It's a completely different challenge," Thompson said of getting the new league up and running. "But that's what makes it exciting."