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Dr. Dennis Thomas will being his sixth year as Commissioner of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference on September 1, 2007. Under his dynamic leadership, the conference has solidified its financial stability, implemented a web site for the basketball tournament, improved the main conference web site, and negotiated a seven-year television package with ESPN to broadcast football, men and women's basketball and other sports events.
During the 2001 season, Thomas served as Chairman of the NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee. He also served on the NCAA Division I Football Issues Committee and is a board of director member of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Before becoming Commissioner, Thomas served as Chairman of the MEAC Championship Committee, Chairman of the MEAC Basketball Tournament Committee, is a member of the Division I-AA Director of Athletics Association Executive Committee and was awarded the National Association of Collegiate Director of Athletics (NACDA) Athletic Director of the Year Award for the Southeast Region for I-AA/AAA in 2002.
Thomas is a member of the NCAA Division I Management Council, Management Council Sub-Committees on Membership, Selection Review and Administrative, and the NCAA Infractions Committee. He is the past chair of the NCAA Division I-AA Commissioners Association. He also serves on the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Executive Committee, selection committee for the AstroTurf AD of the year awards program and NACDA John McLendon Memorial Minority Postgraduate Scholarship Awards selection committee.
Prior to his position with the MEAC, Dr. Thomas was the director of athletics at Hampton University. In 12 years of service, Dr. Thomas guided Hampton from NCAA Division II to NCAA Division I.
The Heidelberg, Mississippi native was a three-year letterman at Alcorn State where he played and later coached under the legendary Marino H. Casem. Dr. Thomas embarked on his collegiate career at the age of 16 which is a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) record. In 1974, he made history as the first and only offensive lineman to be named the Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He was a two-time Pittsburgh Courier First Team All-American, First Team Black Mutual Sports Network All-American, and Outstanding College Athletics of America in 1974. In 2003, Thomas was inducted into the SWAC Hall of Fame.
In 1978, the state legislature of Mississippi issued a proclamation proclaiming April 8 as the Dennis and Johnny Thomas Day (brothers) in the state for their achievements in scholarship, athletics, and leadership.
Thomas earned a bachelor's degree in 1974 from Alcorn State and went on to earn his master's degree in 1975 from Northeast Louisiana University. In 1984, Thomas graduated from the State University of New York at Buffalo with his doctorate degree. |
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