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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1898-11-15)November 15, 1898 Muncie, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 10, 1954(1954-05-10) (aged 55) Tuscaloosa, Alabama, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1917–1918 | Western State Normal |
| 1920–1922 | Notre Dame |
| Position | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1923–1924 | Georgia (assistant) |
| 1925–1928 | Chattanooga |
| 1929–1930 | Georgia (backfield) |
| 1931–1946 | Alabama |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1940–1952 | Alabama |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 141–33–9 |
| Bowls | 4–2 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2National (1934, 1941)[1] 3SIAA (1926–1928) 4SEC (1933–1934, 1937, 1945) | |
| Awards | |
| SEC Coach of the Year (1945) | |
| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1951 (profile) | |
Frank William Thomas (November 15, 1898 – May 10, 1954) was an Americanfootball player and coach. He served as the head football coach at theUniversity of Chattanooga from 1925 to 1928 and at theUniversity of Alabama from 1931 to 1946, compiling a careercollege football record of 141–33–9. During his tenure at Alabama, Thomas amassed a record of 115–24–7 and won fourSoutheastern Conference titles while his teams allowed an average of just 6.3 points per game.[2] Thomas's1934 Alabama team completed a 10–0 season with a victory overStanford in theRose Bowl and was namednational champion by a number of selectors.
Thomas's total wins and winning percentage at Alabama rank third all-time amongCrimson Tide football coaches, behind onlyNick Saban andPaul "Bear" Bryant, whom Thomas coached in the mid-1930s. Thomas never coached a losing season, and twice his teams had undefeated, 10-win campaigns. Thomas was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
Thomas was born inMuncie, Indiana. His parents, James and Elizabeth Williams Thomas, were recent immigrants fromCardiff, Wales.[3] He was a star athlete in high school.
After spending two years at —Western State Normal School—now known asWestern Michigan University, Thomas transferred to Notre Dame and playedquarterback for coachKnute Rockne from 1920 to 1922. According to Rockne, Thomas was the smartest player he ever coached.[4] Thomas's roommate and best friend at Notre Dame wasGeorge "The Gipper" Gipp.
After graduating from Notre Dame, Thomas became an assistant coach at theUniversity of Georgia for two years before earning his first head coaching job in 1925 at theUniversity of Chattanooga, where his teams' record was 26–9–2 in four seasons. In 1931, he accepted the head coaching job at theUniversity of Alabama, where he established himself as one of the top coaches in the nation. His bowl record at Alabama was 4–2, with wins at theRose Bowl (1935, 1946),Cotton Bowl Classic (1942), andOrange Bowl (1943). He became the coach and mentor to future Hall of Fame coachPaul "Bear" Bryant. Other notable players includedDon Hutson,Vaughn Mancha,Harry Gilmer,Johnny Cain, andRiley Smith.
A frequent smoker, Thomas commonly smokedcigars on the sidelines during games. Thomas fell ill withheart andlung disease. Too weak to both coach and take care of his mentally ill daughter, his declining health finally forced his resignation from coaching in 1946.[5] He remained Alabama'sathletic director.
In 1951, he was inducted into theCollege Football Hall of Fame. Thomas died in 1954 at the age of 55 at Druid City Hospital inTuscaloosa, Alabama. An illustrated book published later that year told his story. The football practice fields at the University of Alabama are named for Thomas and his successor,Harold Drew.
In 2006, a bronze statue of Thomas was erected outside of the University of Alabama'sBryant–Denny Stadium alongside the statues ofWallace Wade,Bear Bryant,Gene Stallings and nowNick Saban, the other head coaches who have led Alabama to national championships.
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga Moccasins(Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association)(1925–1928) | |||||||||
| 1925 | Chattanooga | 4–4 | 2–3 | 12th | |||||
| 1926 | Chattanooga | 6–2–2 | 4–0–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1927 | Chattanooga | 8–1 | 5–0 | T–1st | |||||
| 1928 | Chattanooga | 8–2 | 8–1 | 1st | |||||
| Chattanooga: | 26–9–2 | 19–4–2 | |||||||
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southern Conference)(1931–1932) | |||||||||
| 1931 | Alabama | 9–1 | 7–1 | 3rd | |||||
| 1932 | Alabama | 8–2 | 5–2 | T–5th | |||||
| Alabama Crimson Tide(Southeastern Conference)(1933–1946) | |||||||||
| 1933 | Alabama | 7–1–1 | 5–0–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1934 | Alabama | 10–0 | 7–0 | T–1st | WRose | ||||
| 1935 | Alabama | 6–2–1 | 4–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1936 | Alabama | 8–0–1 | 5–0–1 | 2nd | 4 | ||||
| 1937 | Alabama | 9–1 | 6–0 | 1st | LRose | 4 | |||
| 1938 | Alabama | 7–1–1 | 4–1–1 | T–2nd | 13 | ||||
| 1939 | Alabama | 5–3–1 | 2–3–1 | 8th | |||||
| 1940 | Alabama | 7–2 | 4–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1941 | Alabama | 9–2 | 5–2 | 3rd | WCotton | 20 | |||
| 1942 | Alabama | 8–3 | 4–2 | 5th | WOrange | 10 | |||
| 1943 | No team—World War II | ||||||||
| 1944 | Alabama | 5–2–2 | 3–1–2 | T–3rd | LSugar | ||||
| 1945 | Alabama | 10–0 | 6–0 | 1st | WRose | 3 | |||
| 1946 | Alabama | 7–4 | 4–3 | 6th | |||||
| Alabama: | 115–24–7 | 71–19–6 | |||||||
| Total: | 141–33–9 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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