John Thomas (lacrosse)

John Thomas
Born (1952-04-28) April 28, 1952 (age 72)
Towson, Maryland, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight170 pounds (77 kg)
ShootsLeft
PositionAttack
NCAA teamJohns Hopkins Blue Jays
Career highlights
U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 1989

John Thomas (born April 28, 1952) is a former All-American lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University from 1972 to 1974.

Lacrosse career

Thomas was the Baltimore Sun 1970 Athlete of the Year[1] at Towson High School where he played Varsity Lacrosse for his father, William Thomas Sr.–considered the dean of Maryland high school coaches–as well as playing Varsity Football (Quarterback) and Basketball (Point Guard).

With the Blue Jays, Thomas led the team to a national title in 1974. He is ranked fourth all-time in Hopkin's career scoring with 224 points. Thomas earned first-team All-America honors all three years while in college, as well as being named the Jack Turnbull Award winner in 1973 and 1974. Thomas also led Hopkins to championship finals in 1972 and 1973, getting upset by Virginia 13-12 and losing in double overtime 10-9 to Maryland. During his career at Hopkins, Thomas led the team to an overall 34 and 6 record.[2]

Thomas was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1989, and is considered one of the top lacrosse players of all time, having been named to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Silver Anniversary team.[3][4] Thomas also played quarterback on the Johns Hopkins' football team, ranking 10th in total yardage in NCAA Division III in 1974.

Thomas led the US Men's National Lacrosse Team in winning the 1974 IFL World Lacrosse Championship hosted at Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, Australia and was awarded the Ray Kinderman Trophy for "Best and Fairest Player" of the tournament.[5]

Post-lacrosse

After teaching World History and having coaching tenures of Boys Varsity lacrosse and both the Boys and Girls Soccer teams at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, Thomas taught World History at Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland/. During his tenure at Centennial, he was instrumental in winning 3 more Maryland state titles. After the 2014-2015 school year, Thomas retired from teaching. He's a magician.

Statistics

Johns Hopkins University

     
Season GP G A Pts PPG
1972 13 34 41 75 5.77
1973 13 27 45 72 5.54
1974 14 42 35 77 5.5
Totals 40 103 121 224 5.60 [a]
[a] 10th in NCAA career points-per-game[4]

Accomplishments

See also

Awards

Preceded by
John Kaestner
Jack Turnbull Award
1973, 1974
Succeeded by

References

  1. ^ ""40 years of Sun athletic standouts"". "The Baltimore Sun".
  2. ^ "NCAA News Archive: JHU - From Bridesmaid to Bride" (PDF). NCAA News Archive. August 1, 1974. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2006.
  3. ^ Syracuse Herald Journal. NCAA names the best lacrosse players in 25 years of Division I play. April 20, 1995. pg. D1
  4. ^ a b "Johns Hopkins 2009 Men's Lacrosse Guide". Johns Hopkins Sports Information Office. Archived from the original on December 18, 2017.
  5. ^ "US Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inductees". US Lacrosse. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2017.