| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1931-10-04)October 4, 1931 Buffalo, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | April 15, 2023(2023-04-15) (aged 91) Springfield, Missouri, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1950–1953 | Southwest Missouri State |
| Position(s) | Point guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1964 | Southwest Missouri State (assistant) |
| 1964–1980 | Southwest Missouri State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 265–158 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| As player: 2 NAIA national (1952, 1953) As coach: 8 MIAA regular season (1966–1970, 1973, 1974, 1978) | |
| Awards | |
| NABC Division II Coach of the Year (1974) | |
William James Thomas (October 4, 1931 – April 15, 2023) was an American college basketball player and coach. He both played and coached at Southwest Missouri State College (now Missouri State University).
A Buffalo, Missouri native, Thomas played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, where he played as a guard and helped lead the team to NAIA national championships in 1952 and 1953. He returned to the school in 1956 to take an assistant coaching position under head coach Edwin Matthews. When Matthews unexpectedly died in 1964, Thomas was promoted to head coach.
Thomas spent 16 seasons as the Bears' coach, compiling a record of 265–158 and winning eight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships, including five in a row from 1966 to 1970. He led the team to three College Division (now called Division II) runner-up finishes, in 1967, 1969 and 1974. In 1974, Thomas was named the small college national coach of the year.
Thomas retired from coaching after the 1979–80 season but continued to teach physical education at the school until his full retirement in 1997. Thomas died in Springfield, Missouri, on April 15, 2023, at the age of 91.
References
- "Thomas takes basketball helm". Springfield News-Leader. April 16, 1964. p. 28. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wheeler, Wyatt D. (April 16, 2023). "Missouri State basketball legend Bill Thomas dies at 91". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
- "McGuire and Thomas top cage coaches". Greensboro Daily News. March 25, 1974. p. 15. Retrieved April 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "William "Bill" Thomas obuituary". gormanscharpf.com. Retrieved April 24, 2023.
| Missouri State Bears head basketball coaches | |
|---|---|
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| NABC Division II Coach of the Year winners | |
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- 1931 births
- 2023 deaths
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Missouri
- Basketball players from Missouri
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Missouri State Bears basketball coaches
- Missouri State Bears basketball players
- Missouri State University faculty
- People from Buffalo, Missouri
- Sportspeople from Springfield, Missouri
- 20th-century American sportsmen