Mountain West commissioner to step down after 24 years at the helm

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson will step down at the end of the year, the conference announced Wednesday.

After nearly 24 years leading the conference, Thompson’s last day on the job will be Dec. 31.

“It has been an honor to be part of the Mountain West Conference and direct its growth since 1998, the year in which the conference was formed,” Thompson said in a statement. “To work with our conference staff and the leadership of our member institutions through the years as we have pursued our collective vision has been a rewarding experience. I am grateful to every person and institution who has been a part of our journey and I wish them and the Conference the very best in the years ahead.”

The fight to expand the College Football Playoff had been keeping Thompson in the job, he said. The NCAA’s announcement earlier this month that the playoff will expand to 12 teams was his signal that it was time to go.

“I take considerable pride in my committed engagement to this effort over the past two-and-a-half decades and look forward to the finalization of those details in the coming months,” Thompson said. “With CFP expansion accomplished and having invested almost a third of my life in the Mountain West, the time is now right for me to conclude my tenure and allow the conference to continue its momentum under new leadership.”

Thompson, 66, is the only commissioner in the history of the Mountain West, which officially began operations in January 1999. Under his leadership, the conference negotiated nearly $600 million in television revenue to support its member schools, and conference football teams have participated in five Bowl Championship Series or College Football Playoff games and six inaugural bowl contests.

“The entire Mountain West Conference owes a debt of gratitude to Craig for his selfless service over the history of our conference,” University of New Mexico President Garnett Stokes said in a statement. “His fingerprints are on every accomplishment and every initiative we have undertaken, and he has positioned the conference to continue to be among the nation’s elite.”