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A 24-year veteran of college athletics administration, Thomas was named as the University of Cincinnati's Director of Athletics on October 20, 2005. Since taking the reins of the department with 18 teams and 560 student-athletes, Thomas has championed student-athlete development and significant external growth, while also authoring a detailed plan for competitive success in the BIG EAST Conference and on the national level.
In May of 2006, Thomas introduced his vision for Bearcats Athletics, aptly titled CATAPULT - an acronym for championships, academics, and together. Thomas's five-year vision for UC's 18-sport intercollegiate program was launched on the six-month anniversary of his hiring. The plan focuses on three main initiatives: winning BIG EAST team championships, high-level academic achievement, and a comprehensive integration with the UC Campus and Greater Cincinnati Community.
By the end of 2008-09, the third year under the CATAPULT plan, UC's sports teams continue to excel in academics as a whole as the student-athletes combined to achieve a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.034 and continued to graduate at a rate of 16 percent higher than the overall student body. Those numbers will continue to grow as more and more students receive the benefits of the recently expanded and redefined academic services office and the NCAA CHAMPS/Life Skills program.
In 2007-08, Cincinnati was second in the 16-member BIG EAST with five teams garnering BIG EAST Academic Excellence Awards for posting the highest grade-point average in their respective sports (football, men's cross country, women's golf, women's swimming and diving, and women's indoor track and field).
This past year, two teams garnered BIG EAST Academic Excellence Awards (lacrosse and women's swimming), while five athletes earned the league's Scholar-Athlete Sport Excellence Award in their respective sport, tying the University of Notre Dame for the most individual awards in the conference.
In 2006, Thomas hired head football coach Brian Kelly and the football team has made program history in the three seasons since. Kelly led UC to a school-record 11 wins in 2008, along with the school's first BIG EAST Conference Championship, and an appearance in the 75th FedEx Orange Bowl, the first Bowl Championship Series appearance by Cincinnati. The Bearcats' 21 wins since 2007-08 marks the first time UC has won 10 or more games in back-to-back seasons.
UC Athletics produced two BIG EAST team titles, five all-Americans, one all-Region selection, and 28 all-BIG EAST honorees in 2008-09.
In March 2007 UC Athletics was recognized in the 2006-07 Diversity in Athletics Award, presented by the Laboratory for Diversity in Sport at Texas A&M University. The award recognizes the NCAA Division I athletics departments that excel in various areas of diversity. UC was one of just 10 programs nationwide to earn the Diversity in Athletics Award for the graduation of African American male student-athletes.
On the external side, the University of Cincinnati is growing at a tremendous rate.
UC established single-season attendance records for football in each of the past two years, as it posted eight of the Top-12 crowds in Nippert Stadium history. In just four years at UC, Thomas has seen the average attendance in football skyrocket as it has almost doubled (16,016 to 31,965).
In terms of donor development, the UCATS office has reached all-time highs for participation with over 3,800 donors joining the club in 2008-09 (double its total two years ago) and annual fund donations at a record high. Thomas' work on the multi-phase "Raising the Bar" capital campaign, which will fund various initiatives for the football program, was crucial in the program raising its first $5 million over a six-week period.
Fund raising and major gifts are on-going processes at UC with plans to build a new outdoor sports complex with a bubble which will serve as a practice venue for football, a competition site for lacrosse, and be accessible to the UC and Greater Cincinnati communities. The department is also studying the potential renovations and/or expansions of both Nippert Stadium and Fifth Third Arena. The Nippert Stadium renovation is critical as two months before the first football game of 2009, season ticket sales for UC football broke the all-time record.
Beginning in the fall of 2008, all UC teams were outfitted exclusively in adidas footwear, uniforms, training apparel, and accessories as the department signed its first across-the-board shoe and apparel contract. The four-year contract aligns UC with other adidas marketing partners such as the NFL, MLS, and an 11-year exclusive all-league partnership with the NBA.
Later in 2008-09, Thomas reached an agreement with IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide, for a new 12-year multimedia rights partnership.
Prior to coming to UC, Thomas spent five years as the Director of Athletics at the University of Akron and seven years as associate athletics director at the University of Virginia, an institution known for achieving impressive success both academically and athletically, before bringing that model to Akron. Virginia finished in the Top 25 in the Director's Cup in each year of Thomas' tenure there while at the same time was in the top ten nationally in student-athlete graduation rates.
Under Thomas' direction, Akron rose from last place to second among Mid-American Conference schools in the Director's Cup annual rankings. Simultaneously, Akron vaulted from last to second place in the MAC Academic Achievement Awards. Thomas increased the financial base of the Akron athletics program through increasing corporate sponsorship levels by 500 percent and boosted annual giving to athletics to its highest level in the school's history. Community support was rallied, with marked increases shown in football and basketball attendance. During this time period, the Zips won their first MAC football championship and the hiring of men's basketball coach Keith Dambrot has led to unparalleled success on the hardwood.
Support services and facilities for academic support for student-athletes were significantly increased, which resulted in a significant improvement in grade point averages and graduation rates of UA student-athletes.
Thomas coordinated over $140 million in facility construction and renovation, including $25 million in capital improvements at Akron, including a new indoor fieldhouse, a football practice complex, and a softball facility. He also spearheaded the new on-campus football stadium and was instrumental in the initial fundraising and planning stages of the facility which opened in September of 2009.
Recognized for his administrative acumen by his peers, Thomas presently serves on several national and conference committees, including the NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet (where he also serves as the NCAA men's basketball liaison to the cabinet), the NCAA Men's Basketball Issues Committee, and he also chairs the BIG EAST Championship and Competition Committee. Thomas has also previously served as a member of the NCAA Division I Championships/Competition Cabinet, the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Issues Committee, the NCAA Division I Academics/Eligibility/Compliance Cabinet, the NCAA Postseason Bowl Licensing Subcommittee, and the Division 1A Athletics Director's Association Legislative Review Committee.
Twice during his career, Thomas has received distinction for his efforts and dedication as a director of athletics, garnering the General Robert R. Neyland Outstanding Athletics Director Award in 2005 at Akron and then again in April of 2008 at Cincinnati.
Prior to his experience at Virginia, Thomas spent seven years at the University of Denver as assistant athletics director for internal operations, and one year at the University of Iowa in marketing and promotions, and operations.
Thomas, 49, received his B.S. degree in Business Administration from Colorado State University in 1983, and his M.S. degree in Athletic Administration from Western Illinois University in 1986. He and his wife, Jenifer, have four children: Vince, Joey, Mick, and Meredith.
