Bucknell University Athletics
Longtime Coach Tommy Thompson to Retire
6/10/2001 8:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
June 10, 2001
LEWISBURG, Pa. --- Bucknell alum and longtime coach Tommy Thompson has announced his retirement after more than 44 years of involvement as either a player, assistant coach or head coach with the Bison athletic program. A Bucknellian in the truest sense of the word, Thompson just completed his 20th season as the head coach of the Bison men's golf program.
A 1960 Bucknell graduate, he served as the head coach of four different sports at Bucknell over the last 30-plus years, and amassed more than 1,000 victories as a Bison player (basketball, baseball), assistant coach (basketball), or head coach (golf, baseball, tennis, JV & freshman basketball).
"Tommy has represented the winning tradition of Bucknell athletics for over 40 years," said Bison Director of Athletics & Recreation, John Hardt. "He was an outstanding athlete, a successful coach, and a daily contributor to this department. Tommy is a loyal supporter of each and every program at Bucknell, and a product of the Bison student-athlete experience. We wish him the very best in his retirement."
Thompson was a three-year starter and team captain for the Bison basketball team (1958-60), leading the team in scoring his senior season with an average of 16.3 points per game. He was also a standout baseball player at Bucknell, and was named the outstanding athlete in the 1960 graduating class.
Upon graduation, Thompson pitched professionally with the Detroit Tigers organization for three years before returning to Bucknell in 1965. He served as the baseball coach for the Orange and Blue (1967-81) and assistant basketball coach (1965-94), while also coaching the Bison's freshman and junior varsity basketball squads.
On the baseball diamond, he directed the Bison to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in Bucknell athletic history, guiding a team that finished 0-15 in 1968 to a 15-4 record and a Middle Atlantic Conference Championship in 1969.
Thompson also coached the Bison men's tennis team for a year during the 1960's, leading that team to a 9-3 record in 1966.
After 15 year's as Bucknell's baseball coach, Thompson turned the bats and gloves in for drivers and putters, taking over the men's golf program in 1981. In 20 seasons at the helm, he directed the Bison to an impressive 113-27 record in dual-match competition, to go along with seven tournament titles. Thompson was named Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2000 when the Bison missed qualifying for the NCAA Regional due to a scorecard error at the league championships.
A native of Kane, Pa., Thompson was inducted into Bucknell's Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986. His all-time record in all athletic events at Bucknell was 1003-757-1. As a head coach in baseball, golf, tennis and freshman and junior varsity basketball, he was 518-343-1 in 35 years.
The search for a new men's golf coach will begin immediately.
