Dr. Chris Croft
Associate Professor
Bio
Dr. Chris Croft is an Associate Professor of Sport Management and serves as the Sport Management Program and Graduate Coordinator. Croft has been in higher education and intercollegiate athletics for over thirty years as a coach, administrator, and professor, and is a two-time graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi. He has been a member of college basketball staffs in the Big 12 Conference, PAC 10 Conference, and Big Ten Conference. He is an ACUE Credentialed Educator and Distinguished Teaching Scholar and has incorporated experiential learning projects in his classes with Southern Miss Athletics, New Orleans Pelicans, Birmingham Squadron, Biloxi Shuckers, Mississippi Seawolves, Mississippi Mud Monsters, and NCS4. Croft has been a recipient of CBED awards, including Joseph A. Green Excellence in Teaching Award (2025), Faculty Service Award (2025), and the BAC Research Awards (2020, 2021, 2022), and was awarded the university Faculty Senate Junior Research Award (2023).
- EDD - University of Texas at El Paso (2008)
- MS - University of Southern Mississippi (1996)
- BS - University of Southern Mississippi (1995)
SM 330 Social and Ethical Issues in Sport (undergraduate)
SM 410 Sport Marketing (undergraduate)
SM 412 Sport Finance (undergraduate)
SM 465 Sport Management Internship (undergraduate)
SM 466 Sport Facility and Event Operations (undergraduate)
SM 492 Sport Management Practicum (undergraduate)
SM 600 Sport Management Internship (graduate)
SM 615 Sport Marketing and Public Relations (graduate)
SM 620 Sport Security Management (graduate)
SM 626 Risk Assessment of Sport Venues (graduate)
SM 628 Sport Event Emergency Response Planning (graduate)
SM 630 Sport Soci-Ethical Issues (graduate)
SM 642 Sport Venue and Event Management (graduate)
SM 692 Special Topics in Sport Management (graduate)
SM 697 Independent Study in Sport Management (graduate)
- Hospitality and Tourism Experiential Learning Combined with Interdisciplinary Learning, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Education, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/10963758.2023.2295549
- Team Identification and Perceptions of College Athletes, Sports Innovation Journal, 2023, https://doi.org/10.18060/27124
- The Player Makes the Coach: Exploring Player Development among Division I Basketball Coaches, International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1177/17479541221146384
- The Influence of University Recreation Centers on Student Return and Retention During COVID-19, Recreational Sports Journal, 2022, DOI: 10.1177/15588661221097701
- Fighting for Legitimacy: The Impact of Football and Stadia at the University of Southern Mississippi, Journal of Mississippi History, 2022
- Athlete Identity and Mental Health Among NCAA Division III Student-athletes, Journal of Athlete Development and Experience, 2022, https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1142&context=jade
- The Application of the Theory of Social Influence on the Recruitment of Division I Male Basketball Players, Journal for the Study of Sports and Athletes in Education, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1080/19357397.2022.2026110
- Birds of a Feather Don’t Flock Together: Institutional Athletics Rebranding at the University of Southern Mississippi, Journal of Managerial Issues, 2021, https://www.pittstate.edu/business/_files/documents/jmi/jmifall2021.pdf
- Promoting Intercollegiate Beach Volleyball: The Rise of the NCAA’s Fastest Growing Sport, Journal of Managerial Issues, 2021, https://www.pittstate.edu/business/_files/documents/jmi/jmifall2021.pdf
- Implementing Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory into Men’s Collegiate Basketball Sports Marketing, Sport Management Education Journal, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1123/smej.2020-0028
- North American Society for Sport Management
- Basketball New Zealand
- English