Ray B. Thomas

Ray B. Thomas
Thomas in The Ariel (1910) college yearbook of the University of Vermont
Biographical details
Born(1884-04-11)April 11, 1884
Berkshire, Vermont, U.S.
DiedAugust 5, 1931(1931-08-05) (aged 47)
St. Albans, Vermont, U.S.
Playing career
Football
c. 1905Brown
c. 1908Vermont
Position(s)Center[1]
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Football
1909Vermont
1910New Hampshire
1911New Hampshire
Basketball
1910–1911New Hampshire
Head coaching record
Overall
  • 6–7–3 (football)
  • 6–3 (basketball)

Ray Brown Thomas (April 11, 1884 – August 5, 1931) was an American college athlete, coach of college football and college basketball, physician, and medical officer in the United States Army.

Biography

Thomas graduated from Burlington High School in Vermont, then Brown University in Rhode Island, and later earned his medical degree at the University of Vermont in 1910.[2] While at Brown, he played football, baseball, and basketball; he also played football at Vermont.[2][3]

Thomas served as the head football coach at Vermont in 1909, and at New Hampshire College of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts[a] for the full 1910 season and for its final two games of the 1911 season.[b] He compiled a career college football record of 6–7–3 as a head coach. Thomas was also the head basketball coach at New Hampshire for one season, in 1910–11, tallying a mark of 6–3.

In 1911, he opened a medical office in Enosburgh, Vermont.[2] During World War I, he served as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Corps,[5] and was chief of X-ray services at the Camp McClellan hospital in Alabama.[2] Thomas died in August 1931 at the age of 47, of pneumonia brought on by heat stroke while on duty with the Army Reserve.[5][2] He was a Freemason and a member of the Episcopal Church; he was survived by his wife, Elizabeth Laird Thomas.[2]

Head coaching record

Thomas (standing far right) with the 1909 Vermont football team
Thomas (seated far right, with "Brown" shirt) with the 1910 New Hampshire football team

Football

Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Vermont Green and Gold (Independent) (1909)
1909 Vermont 4–2–2
Vermont: 4–2–2
New Hampshire (Independent) (1910–1911)
1910 New Hampshire 2–3–1
1911 New Hampshire † 0–2
New Hampshire: 2–5–1
Total: 6–7–3

† Coached team's final two games of the season.

Notes

  1. ^ The school became the University of New Hampshire in 1923 and adopted the Wildcats nickname in 1926.
  2. ^ Thomas was brought in to lead the 1911 New Hampshire football team for its final two games after the team's first coach resigned after three games and a second coach was dismissed.[4]

References

  1. ^ The Ariel. Vol. XXIII. University of Vermont. 1910. p. 177. Retrieved April 25, 2020 – via uvm.edu. Varsity Football Team, Season of 1908
  2. ^ a b c d e f "Dr. R. B. Thomas, 47, of Enosburg Falls dies in St. Albans". Rutland Herald. Rutland, Vermont. August 6, 1931. p. 1. Retrieved April 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Bits Of Sport". The Portsmouth Herald. Portsmouth, New Hampshire. October 27, 1911. p. 2. Retrieved April 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Ray B. Thomas Returns as Coach: Coaching Situation Settled". The New Hampshire. Vol. 1, no. 6. Durham, New Hampshire. October 25, 1911. p. 1. Retrieved November 29, 2024 – via UNH.edu.
  5. ^ a b "Dr. Thomas, Athlete, Dies". Brattleboro Reformer. Brattleboro, Vermont. AP. August 5, 1931. p. 6. Retrieved April 25, 2020 – via newspapers.com.