Nov. 9, 1999

Mountain West Conference Commissioner Craig Thompson is set to take your questions in a LIVE chat at ESPN.com on Wednesday, November 10 at 5:00 pm ET.

When the decision was made to develop a new athletic conference, the choice for its commissioner became apparent in Thompson. As former commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference for nearly 12 years and the only commissioner of the American South Conference prior to the unprecedented merger of the two leagues in 1991, Thompson is no stranger to the challenges of starting a new league and maintaining it as a leader in the world of athletics.

During his 12 years at the Sun Belt, Thompson supervised the operation of the Division I conference that sponsored 14 championship sports for eight institutions. While in New Orleans, 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. He also served as a panelist at the Southeastern Sports Gambling Summit in 1998.

Under Thompson's leadership, the Sun Belt was active in expansion as it continued to strengthen its posture nationally. In April 1998, the conference added Florida International University, while the University of Denver will join the ranks, effective the Fall of 1999.

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