2015 GSC Hall of Fame Spotlight: Tommy Thomas
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HERE for the complete 2015 GSC Hall of Fame release.
Career Highlights
- Spent 40 years with Valdosta State, including 25 in the Gulf South Conference.
- Earned his bachelor's degree from VSU in 1962 and his master's degree from Georgia Southern in 1967.
- Finished coaching career in 2007 as the all-time NCAA Division II leader in victories with 1,308. He's now second all-time and 16th among all NCAA coaches in career wins.
- Was voted to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Fame in 2006.
- Is third in GSC history with 759 career wins as a conference head coach.
- Was a two-time GSC Coach of the Year and an ABCA Coach of the Year.
- Led VSU to two GSC Titles and eight NCAA Division II postseason appearances as a member of the GSC.
- Prior to joining the GSC, he led VSU to the 1979 National Championship.
Institutional Statement
"Tommy Thomas embodied the definition of a successful coach during his career at Valdosta State. He spent the entirety of his 40-year career with the Blazers, including 25 years of service as a member of the Gulf South Conference. He retired from VSU in 2007 as the NCAA Division II all-time leader in career victories, a record that stood until 2013 when Armstrong Atlantic's Joe Roberts surpassed the mark by six wins and promptly retired. Of Tommy's 1,308 career wins, 759 came during his time in the GSC. Tommy has been honored as a member of the Valdosta State Athletics Hall of Fame and by his coaching peers as he is also in the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame."