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A 20-year run as a college basketball coach helped pave the way for Chris Croft to establish his current career as an Assistant Professor of Sport Management at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM).
A native of Louisville, Miss., Croft spent 18 years as an assistant coach on the Division I level with stops at Oklahoma State, Maryland Eastern Shore, Washington State, University Texas-El Paso (UTEP), and Nebraska. He served as head coach at Martin Methodist College (now UT Southern) for two seasons.
Croft’s coaching career actually began at USM where he served as a graduate assistant under the legendary M.K. Turk. He later returned for another coaching stint at USM under Doc Sadler.
Croft shared his insights on coaching and teaching in a comprehensive interview published recently by SportsDegreesOnline.Org. He also offered advice for students who might be considering a career in sport management.
The USM Sport Management Program includes one undergraduate and two graduate programs. Croft points out that the undergraduate enrollment has remained consistent despite COVID-19 challenges, averaging approximately 120 students over the past three years with slight increases. The graduate programs include approximately 80 total students.
Croft says the love Americans show toward sports has helped fuel the popularity in sport management programs and related careers nationwide.
“Most of us played sports at some point from possibly youth to high school and some going on to college,” he said. “The competition and life lessons that are learned make it exciting and also fluid as you never know what is going to happen in games. Additionally, with the enormous television coverage and more recently streaming, there is 24/7 coverage of various sports and leagues around the country.”
He added: “I believe the combination of this has further heightened interest of students in sport management, and they are understanding that they like playing, but cannot anymore and yet see sport management as a way to get involved with the business side of sports for a career. I think those reasons make it interesting and entertaining to young people.”
While coaching at UTEP, Croft initiated his doctoral pursuit as a conduit for possible teaching and/or administrative opportunities down the road. Although he enjoyed coaching student-athletes, Croft says the frequent relocating (eight moves in 20 years) and job uncertainty proved unsustainable.
“If you win, you are able to gain advancement opportunities but have to move. If you do not win, then you are going to lose your job and I actually went through that on three different occasions,” said Croft.
During his second stint as an assistant at USM, Croft made the ultimate decision to trade coaching for teaching.
“My wife and I love Hattiesburg, and with USM being my alma mater, when I was approached by Dr. Stacey Hall about coming on faculty, it was the right time to make the transition to academia,” he said.
In his interview with SportsDegreesOnline.org, Croft explains that a major component of his teaching includes bringing the real-world experiences that he went through and saw in intercollegiate athletics to the classroom to supplement the course content and allow students to better understand what they will encounter entering the sport industry.
Read the full interview here: (https://sportsdegreesonline.org/expert-interviews/chris-croft/).
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites across the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 146 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and large event venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 36 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $663 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of more than 13,500, representing more than 70 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 37 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 27 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.
