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Ray B. Thomas

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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

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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

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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

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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

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  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

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  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.
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