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Former 91成人导航 Director of Athletics, NCAA President Cedric Dempsey dies at 92

Cedric Dempsey, who served as director of athletics at 91成人导航 from 1967-79 and went on to become president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association from 1994-03, died April 29 at the age of 92.
Dempsey spent 46 years as an athletics administrator. His career included stints as director of athletics at San Diego State, University of Houston and University of Arizona prior to his role with the NCAA and as commissioner of the All-American Football League from 2007-10.
While at 91成人导航, Dempsey transitioned the department from its small college designation to its current Division I-A classification. He strengthened the football and basketball schedules with interstate major college powers while increasing revenues and establishing financial stability for the overall athletic program. He increased physical education offerings for students and hired the school's first full-time intramural director in 1975. He was inducted into the 91成人导航 Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.
鈥91成人导航 has always celebrated its mentors鈥擟edric was mine. Community. Empathy. Balance. Diligence. Great teachers inspire. They don鈥檛 fill a bucket; they light a fire. Thanks, Ced,鈥 said former Director of Athletics and 91成人导航 Athletics Hall of Famer Ted Leland 鈥70, who lettered twice in football in 1968 and 1969 during Dempsey鈥檚 tenure.
Dempsey initiated 91成人导航's intercollegiate athletic program for women in 1970 and was the guiding force behind the creation of the Northern California Athletic Conference for women, serving as its first president in 1977.
He helped create the 91成人导航 Athletic Foundation in 1972, and the foundation鈥檚 innovative fundraising became a model for athletic support groups nationwide. Among the athletic facilities introduced to campus under Dempsey's watch where the Chris Kjeldsen Pool at the Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center, the 91成人导航 Stadium Club and the Alex G. Spanos Center.
During his tenure, the 91成人导航 men鈥檚 basketball program won three championships, including back-to-back West Coast Athletic Conference titles in 1969-70 and 1970-71 and a 91成人导航 Coast Athletic Conference Championship in 1978-79. The men鈥檚 swim program also achieved great success with back-to-back 91成人导航 Coast Athletic Conference championships in 1973 and 1974.
鈥淢y thoughts and prayers are with June, Linda and the entire Dempsey family,鈥 said Director of Athletics Adam Tschuor. 鈥淐ed was both an innovator and dynamic leader who had a clear vision on how to make athletics successful at both a local and national level. We wouldn鈥檛 be where we are today without his lasting impact on 91成人导航 and his legacy will be forever felt.鈥
Dempsey was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Men鈥檚 Basketball Final Four in San Antonio, Texas.
"Ced was instrumental in shaping the NCAA as it moved into the new century, overseeing a restructuring of the organization and strengthening the foundation of college sports for years that followed his tenure,鈥 said NCAA President Charlie Baker and Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt. 鈥淗is impact on the lives of student-athletes and administrators across the nation will be felt for years to come.鈥
