Milton O. Thompson, Class of 1979
Milton "Milt" O. Thompson is "of counsel" with the firm of Barnes & Thornburg and president and CEO of Grand Slam Companies, a sports, entertainment, and recreation management consulting firm. A former certified contract advisor with the NFL and NBA Players Association, he represented top professional athletes in all sports. He sits on the Indianapolis Indians Baseball Club board of directors and the board of Indiana Sports Corp. He currently hosts ESPN950's weekly radio show "Playing for Keeps," which features the business of sports, and he previously hosted television shows including "Hoosier Know It Alls," "Focus on Indianapolis Sports," and the public affairs show "Indiana Focus" on local station WNDY-TV.
Thompson's professional passions have translated to well-known work in community development, and sports and recreation-planning. He is a federal court-appointed trustee of the Indianapolis Foundation, and played a key role in negotiating the creation of the Central Indiana Community Foundation in 1997. He served as president and interim director of Big Brothers as it combined forces with Big Sisters to create Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Indiana.
Hi recreational management firm has represented cities throughout the country in developing community parks and recreation plans. In 1998 and 200, he represented Atlanta's National Black Arts Festival. He also represented Festival 2000, a multi-cultural arts festival in San Francisco.
Thompson served as general counsel to the Pan American Games where he was privileged to negotiate with heads of state from around the world. Thompson was also a member of organizing committees for the NCAA Hall of Champions, the World Basketball Championships, the NCAA Final Four, the World Police and Fire Games, and the NCAA Track and Field Championships. He is a co-founder of the Indiana Amateur Baseball Association.
The list goes on to include at least 17 additional volunteer affiliations.
More than 15 of these, including the Law School, have honored Thompson's contributions with distinction. His most recent honors include the 2006 Heritage Award; recognition as one of Indianapolis Monthly's "Indiana Super Lawyers" in March 2005; and the 2004 Business & Philanthropy Award from the National Center for Black Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. A former first-team All-American baseball player at Wittenberg University where he earned his BA in 1976, he is a member of the Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame and has served as a Trustee for his alma mater since 1998.
His important work features an invaluable commitment to Indiana University and to this Law School. He is a past president and 13-year member of the Law School's Board of Visitors and past president of the Law School Alumni Association. For these efforts and for his community work, he earned the Law School's Distinguished Service Award in 1997. He has made special efforts to connect with law students by hosting events designed for students interested in sports and entertainment law, and he serves as advisor to the IU Kelley School of Business Sports and Entertainment Academy.