CIF Southern Section General Council Meeting : Thomas Named Commissioner, Outlines Plans

Stan Thomas was named the sixth commissioner in the 73-year history of the California Interscholastic Federation’s Southern Section Thursday, and said he would continue the efforts of his predecessor to get solid financial support from corporations and look to give the section a stronger voice in legislative and political matters.

Thomas, 54, an administrator of commerce and technology for the Tustin Unified School District since 1984, will begin his term in Cerritos on July 1 and work with current commissioner Ray Plutko until July 26. Plutko resigned to become head of the Colorado High School Activities Assn. Plutko, commissioner since 1980 after working as a sportswriter and then as basketball coach and athletic director at Notre Dame in Riverside, announced his resignation in early February.

Eighteen candidates applied for the job as chief of the largest of the 10 portions of the CIF--a section that, were it a state federation of its own, would rank as the country’s seventh largest. The list was pared to nine in mid-April, with Thomas, Southern Section administrator Dean Crowley and CIF associate commissioner Margaret Davis emerging as the finalists. They were interviewed Tuesday, and Thomas was informed of the choice later that night.

“I thought being a principal had to be an advantage at that point,” Thomas said. “The CIF Southern Section is essentially a principal’s organization and, having had an opportunity to serve in that capacity, I feel that it will give me more insight on a daily basis.

“A lot of people know me and understand what I do. I just need to understand the major processes of the Southern Section in regard to the daily operations.”

Before taking over at the Tustin school district, Thomas, a graduate of Manual Arts High and Whittier College, was principal at Foothill for four years and an assistant at Excelsior and Neff. Both schools have since closed. His previous experience with the Southern Section came as a member of committees on rules, the yearly calendar and life event passes.

He also was a successful football coach, having led Neff to the 1-A title in 1966 and the 2-A title in ‘74, at which point he became an administrator. The 1974 team set a Southern Section record with 43 interceptions, a mark that stood for 10 years until Diamond Bar had 51.

“I read in the paper that Ray was leaving,” Thomas recalled. “I joked with my son about going for it and thought about it for a week. Then I said, ‘Why not?’ I have the experience in the area and have been successful, so I decided to take a run at it.”

At Thursday’s Southern Section council meeting in Norwalk, Thomas said he decided to seek the job because “I wanted to deal with athletics in an administrative fashion” and targeted three specific areas:

- Financial. Plutko brought in many corporate sponsors for Southern Section events--Dr. Pepper and Ford included--and Thomas hopes to continue in that direction. During Plutko’s six-year term, the yearly budget increased from $250,000 to $850,000.

- Legislation and politics. The latest action in Sacramento by Assembly Speaker Willie Brown (D-San Francisco) that, if passed, would mean a statewide C-average eligibility requirement only furthers Thomas’ belief that the CIF should have some ongoing representation. Getting a lobbyist in the state capital within a year is a possibility.

“We need to get tuned into that,” he said. “We really have to be sharp and we have to let our position be known.

“It would be a lobbyist for the 10 sections of the CIF. It’s not just for the Southern Section.”

- Communication. One thought is a sectionwide cable-television contract.

For starters, though, he hopes to get settled in the job and working with the new people. Included in that group is Crowley.

“Dean and I have talked,” Thomas said. “Dean will be very supportive. He is going to be an excellent, excellent person to deal with on a daily basis.”