WESTLAKE, Ohio – Former Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Bethune-Cookman University, Lynn W. Thompson, is set to be inducted into the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The announcement came from Pat Manak, NACDA Chief Executive Officer.
 
The induction will be part of NACDA's 58th Annual Convention, taking place Monday, June 12, at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Florida. The start time for the event is 4 p.m.
 
Thompson, one of the longest serving collegiate athletic directors on the Division I level, stepped down from his position at Bethune-Cookman in June 2021, after more than 30 years of service to his alma mater.
 
"Professionally, it is the capstone to a career of service, and a ministry of teaching and touching young people's lives," expressed Thompson. "Personally, it is a testament to everyone who believed in our vision and in our mission at Bethune-Cookman University, and all who committed to this wonderful ministry within collegiate athletics, as a whole."
 
Thompson's lengthy and impressive CV at Bethune-Cookman included serving as the first African American to chair the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee, and as a member on the NCAA Division FCS (formerly Division I-AA) Football Committee and the NCAA Football Issues Committees, creating policy for intercollegiate athletics on a national level. He also served the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) as chairman of the MEAC Basketball, Softball, Track & Field and Baseball Tournaments, and was selected five times as an NCAA Peer Reviewer for the athletics certification process.
 
Thompson served on the NCAA Committee on Academics, overseeing the academic standards of intercollegiate athletics, the recent NCAA APR 2.0 Task Force, and is a Board member of the Florida Sports Foundation.

A former student-athlete at Bethune-Cookman in the sport of football, Thompson graduated from Bethune-Cookman College in 1980. He would go on to earn his master's degree from Clark Atlanta University in 1984. In 1991, Thompson was named Athletics Director at B-CU, and in 2015 he was elevated to the position of Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics under former president Dr. Edison Jackson.
 
"Bethune-Cookman gave me the opportunity to exercise my faith and to work professionally at the same time," continued Thompson. "I accept this honor as a Wildcat who entered to learn, departed to serve, and one day will return to invest in the future for more Wildcats for generations to come."
 
Throughout his distinguished career, the Daytona Beach native led the Wildcats to a grand total of 71 championships – 54 of which were in the MEAC – and spearheaded the launch of the CatEye Network. He would later be recognized as an Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year (ADOY) by NACDA in 2019-20.

In addition to his career in athletics administration, Thompson has written, hosted, and produced various television and radio shows throughout the mid-Florida region highlighting Bethune-Cookman Athletics.
 
He was inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2016.
 
Thompson joined the MEAC staff as senior advisor in January 2021. In this role, he researches strategic objectives with the commissioner and conference leadership team, serves as co-liaison to the Strategic & Long-Range Planning Committee, provides guidance and assistance to the Strategic Communications, External Affairs, and Corporate Partnerships departments and assists with the further development of the MEAC Digital Network. He recently served as co-writer and narrator of the recent Los Angeles Rams short film/documentary called Kingfish: The Story of Kenny Washington – the saga of the NFL's first black player to re-integrate the National Football League (NFL) in 1946, which premiered in February, and has written "A Chance for Redemption", a drama for the stage which is in full development and set to premiere in Florida in the fall of 2023.
 
"Bethune-Cookman is a place that means so much to me," stated Thompson. "It will always be my home. And I will always be a Wildcat. Without them, none of this is possible from NACDA.
 
"Thank you. Truly…Thank you."
 
Also joining Thompson in this year's NACDA Hall of Fame enshrinement are the following: Jim Abbott (Oklahoma City University), Art Becker (Scottsdale Community College), Bob Bowlsby (Stanford), Bob Driscoll (Providence), Carl Heinrich (Johnson County Community College), Marilyn McNeil (Monmouth) and Perk Weisenburger (Ferris State).
 
For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.
 
About NACDA: Now in its 58th year, NACDA is the professional and educational Association for more than 22,000 college athletics administrators at more than 2,200 institutions throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. NACDA manages 18 professional associations and four foundations. In addition to virtual programming, NACDA hosts six major professional development events in-person annually. The NACDA & Affiliates Convention is the largest gathering of collegiate athletics administrators in the country. For more information, visit www.nacda.com.