Former Arizona Athletic Director and NCAA Leader Cedric Dempsey Passes Away

Cedric Dempsey, former athletic director for the Arizona Wildcats, passed away on Saturday in San Diego at the age of 94, as reported by Greg Hansen of the Arizona Daily Star.

Dempsey’s influence on Arizona athletics is profound. Many fans name standout players like Mike Bibby and Rob Gronkowski as legends, while coaches such as Lute Olson and Dick Tomey are also celebrated. Yet, Dempsey’s legacy may stand above them all, particularly for his role in shaping the athletic department.

He was a talented three-sport athlete at Albion College during the 1950s, excelling in basketball, cross-country, and tennis. After coaching basketball and cross-country at Albion from 1959 to 1962, he joined the Arizona Wildcats as an assistant basketball coach from 1963 to 1965.

Transitioning into administration, Dempsey became Arizona’s assistant athletic director before moving to the University of the Pacific, where he led the Tigers’ athletic program for over a decade. He later held positions at San Diego State University and the University of Houston before rejoining Arizona in 1983 at a time when the athletics program needed revitalization.

Under Dempsey’s leadership, Arizona athletics flourished. He hired notable coaches, including Mike Candrea, Dick Tomey, and Lute Olson, the latter of whom guided the Wildcats to a national championship in men’s basketball in 1997. Dempsey’s tenure marked a transformative era for the program.

In 1993, Dempsey was appointed executive director of the NCAA, a position he held until 2003. His tenure was not without impact; he played a crucial role in negotiating a historically lucrative television deal and was instrumental in relocating the NCAA headquarters from Kansas City to Indianapolis.

After retiring from the NCAA, Dempsey returned to Arizona in 2017 to assist the athletic department, notably hiring fellow Albion alum Dave Heeke as his successor.

Dempsey’s contributions to college athletics have not gone unrecognized; he is inducted into numerous Halls of Fame, including those at Arizona, Albion, and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.

Significantly, Arizona’s C.A.T.S (Commitment to an Athlete’s Total Success) program is named in his honor. He faced tremendous personal health challenges, battling cancer three times and undergoing two heart surgeries before his passing.

In the words of Greg Hansen, “Cedric Dempsey was probably the top athletic director in the last 50 years of the Pac-12. More than that, he was a wonderful man and leader.”