Cedric Dempsey, who served as director of athletics at University of the Pacific 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 Pacific, 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 Pacific Athletics Hall of Fame in 1992.

“Pacific has always celebrated its mentors—Cedric was mine. Community. Empathy. Balance. Diligence. Great teachers inspire. They don’t fill a bucket; they light a fire. Thanks, Ced,” said former Director of Athletics and Pacific Athletics Hall of Famer Ted Leland ’70, who lettered twice in football in 1968 and 1969 during Dempsey’s tenure.

Dempsey initiated Pacific'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 Pacific Athletic Foundation in 1972, and the foundation’s 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 Pacific Stadium Club and the Alex G. Spanos Center.

During his tenure, the Pacific men’s basketball program won three championships, including back-to-back West Coast Athletic Conference titles in 1969-70 and 1970-71 and a Pacific Coast Athletic Conference Championship in 1978-79. The men’s swim program also achieved great success with back-to-back Pacific Coast Athletic Conference championships in 1973 and 1974.

“My thoughts and prayers are with June, Linda and the entire Dempsey family,” said Director of Athletics Adam Tschuor. “Ced 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’t be where we are today without his lasting impact on Pacific and his legacy will be forever felt.”

Dempsey was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Men’s 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,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker and Senior Vice President for Basketball Dan Gavitt. “His impact on the lives of student-athletes and administrators across the nation will be felt for years to come.”