University of San Diego Magazine - Fall 2025

TORERO ATHLETICS

“There’s no hierarchy. It’s a meritocracy where if you’re working hard and being a great teammate, regardless of your speed or class year, you’re going to be loved and respected.”

These aren’t just words on a wall — they’re living principles the team explores together. “We’ll talk about accountability. What does that look like when it’s embodied? What does it look like when we don’t do it well?” Thompson explained. “What are examples of teammates who’ve done it well?” The most distinctive element of Thompson’s program may be the weekly ritual that concludes Saturday practices. After discussing team values, the entire squad, regardless of religious background, locks arms to share gratitude and petitions. “I’ll say, ‘Let’s reflect on the week we’ve had and the week ahead, the highs and lows,’” Thompson said. “Then anyone can share what they’re grateful for, and anything they’d like people to keep in their thoughts or prayers.” Thompson emphasizes the inclusive nature of these moments. “Some of you are not religious, and that’s fine,” he tells his athletes. “Whether it’s prayers or just keeping you in their thoughts — gratitude isn’t religion-specific.” These moments help bring unity and cohesion to the whole team. Prospective recruits consistently tell Thompson that they can’t distinguish between seniors and freshmen during visits to campus — a testament to the close-knit environment he’s fostered.

“When things like this happen — and with a team of 45 athletes, the reality is, most of you here will face some gut check moments in life — I want you to have practiced showing up when it’s really hard,” Thompson tells his athletes. “Emotions are a wonderful companion, but a lousy leader.” Thompson’s vision for his athletes extends far beyond career or financial achievements. “There’s nothing wrong with going out and making a lot of money,” he said. “But I hope they know how to care about something that’s bigger than themselves. We need good, compassionate citizens who recognize the need to care for the least among us in the world.” Thompson often shares a quote he learned from another coach, originally attributed to former USD football coach Jim Harbaugh: “When you guys come back 15, 20 years from now, and we know what kind of men you are, what kind of husbands you’ve become, what kind of fathers you are, then we’ll know how good this team is.” The quote rings true for Thompson. “If they invite me to their wedding someday,” he said with a slight smile, “Hopefully, that means I had an impact on them beyond rowing.”

But Thompson’s care extends far beyond Saturday practice. His commitment to his athletes’ well-being becomes more evident during crises, such as athletes facing hospitalization for medical emergencies. “I tell my guys all the time, ‘I love you guys. I’ll take a bullet for any one of you,’” Thompson said. “I tell the parents every year, ‘It would be an insult to you to say I will love your children as much as you do, but my goal is to try my darndest to get as close as possible.’” That commitment was tested two years ago when two athletes faced serious, unexpected health scares — one with a neurological disorder, another with a brain lesion. Thompson spent nights in the hospital, sometimes staying until 5:45 a.m. and then heading straight to 6 a.m. practice. He returned daily for weeks, until they were released. Moments like this can reverberate throughout a team. To Thompson, it’s important to remind his athletes that he’s trying to prepare them to face the worst in life.

ROWING THROUGH LIFE’S STORMS The Monday morning after Thanksgiving weekend 2022, USD Men’s Rowing Head Coach Bart Thompson stood before his team, calm in his demeanor but heavy in his heart. On Thanksgiving, he and his wife discovered that they had lost their unborn child; a daughter who was stillborn. Yet there he was, ready for practice. “I told the guys, ‘Look, I’m not OK, and I’m not going to pretend I’m OK,’” Thompson recalled. “I cried on the way to practice a number of days that week, but it was so important to me to continue to show up.” That moment exemplified the philosophy Thompson has woven throughout USD’s rowing program since arriving in 2021. Thompson’s journey to USD and coaching took several unexpected turns. In 2012, Thompson earned a degree in American history from Stanford University, where he competed as a two sport athlete. He competed in rowing until a back injury forced him to retire and pick up lacrosse, his other sport in high school. After graduation, Thompson spent time preparing for the MCAT and volunteering

His success there was clear — in his final season, the Bulldogs won all four of the events that they entered at the Mid Atlantic Rowing Conference (MARC) championship, earning Thompson the 2021 MARC Men’s Coach of the Year award. Thompson started his next chapter at USD in Fall 2021, drawn by the university’s Catholic mission to develop young people of character, who will succeed in all aspects of their lives. Thompson arrived at USD with a clear vision for how to support student-athletes beyond just athletic performance. “I remember taking a mental wellness survey my freshman year at Stanford,” Thompson recalled. “The professor pulled me aside because I scored so high on certain indicators. I was struggling with being far from home [Ann Arbor, Michigan], particularly away from my younger siblings, and feeling very alone.” That personal experience, combined with his pre-medical background and natural inclination toward caring for others, shaped Thompson’s approach to coaching. Rather than simply focusing on technique and fitness, he built his program around holistic development. Thompson’s approach centers on 10 core team values, discussed during Saturday practices: accountability, coachability, discipline, drive, enthusiasm, excellence, gratitude, grit, integrity and selflessness.

at his high school alma mater, St. John’s Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, as the associate head coach and novice coach for the school’s rowing program. “I joke that it only took me five years to realize I didn’t want to go to med school,” Thompson said, referencing his four years of undergraduate pre-med work, plus time spent studying for the MCAT. Thompson eventually moved to Kansas City, Missouri, to work for Cerner, a healthcare IT company now known as Oracle Health, where he spent three years in competitive intelligence and consulting. It was during this corporate experience that Thompson’s true calling became clear. “I realized what had always drawn me to medicine was the idea of healing and helping people,” he said. “But I didn’t love the human body enough. As I put it to someone, I didn’t really like the idea of healing the body, but I really liked the idea of healing the heart.” Thompson was accepted to graduate programs for Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage Family Therapist certifications, but ultimately chose coaching as his path to impact young lives. After cofounding programs with the Kansas City Boat Club and the University of Missouri-Kansas City Rowing Club, Thompson was hired in 2017 to start the men’s and women’s rowing programs at Adrian College in Michigan.

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