Southern Section Expected to Name Stan Thomas New Commissioner

Stan Thomas, an administrator in charge of commerce and technology for the Tustin Unified School District and a former high school football coach and principal in Southern California, is expected to be introduced today as the new commissioner of the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation.

Thomas and several members of the Executive Committee would not comment Wednesday, but sources close to the situation indicated that Thomas won out over Dean Crowley, a Southern Section administrator, and Margaret Davis, associate commissioner of the CIF.

The finalists were each interviewed for about 35 minutes Tuesday, ending a process that started in early April.

“Everyone was sworn to secrecy on this matter,” Thomas said.

A former football coach at now-defunct Neff of La Mirada and a former principal at East Tustin Foothill, a job he left in 1984 for the position with the Tustin district, Thomas replaces Ray Plutko as the sixth commissioner of the largest of the 10 sections in the CIF.

Plutko announced his resignation in February to become chief of the Colorado High School Activities Assn., although no date for his departure has been announced.

Thomas’ introduction will take place at a Southern Section Council meeting today at Norwalk.