Mel Thompson (basketball)
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 5, 1932 Richmond, Indiana |
| Died | February 5, 2009 (aged 76) Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Playing career | |
| 1951–1954 | NC State |
| Position(s) | Center |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1960 | The Citadel (assistant) |
| 1960–1967 | The Citadel |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| First-team All-ACC (1954) | |
Melvin Thompson (October 5, 1932 – February 5, 2009) was an American college basketball player and coach. He was the head coach at The Citadel from 1960 to 1967.
Born and raised in Richmond, Indiana, Thompson played college basketball for Everett Case at North Carolina State University. Following a semi-pro playing career, he was named an assistant coach at The Citadel in 1959,[1] then assumed head coaching duties when Norm Sloan left for the University of Florida coaching job. In his seven seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs, Thompson compiled a record of 67–96. He was fired after an 8-17 season that would become the subject of author Pat Conroy's 2002 memoir My Losing Season, in which Conroy described Thompson as a mentally and emotionally abusive coach.[2][3]
Thompson was named to the 1975 'Silver Anniversary Team' by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in recognition of his basketball career.[4] He died on February 5, 2009.[5]
Head coaching record[]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Citadel Bulldogs (Southern Conference) (1960–1967) | |||||||||
| 1960–61 | The Citadel | 17–8 | 10–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1961–62 | The Citadel | 8–15 | 4–8 | 7th | |||||
| 1962–63 | The Citadel | 3–20 | 2–10 | 9th | |||||
| 1963–64 | The Citadel | 11–10 | 4–8 | 8th | |||||
| 1964–65 | The Citadel | 13–11 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1965–66 | The Citadel | 7–16 | 4–9 | 8th | |||||
| 1966–67 | The Citadel | 8–17 | 6–7 | 5th | |||||
| The Citadel: | 67–98 (.406) | 38–50 (.432) | |||||||
| Total: | 67–98 (.406) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References[]
- ^ "Citadel hires Mel Thompson". Chula Vista Star News. June 7, 1959. p. 25. Retrieved April 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gillespie, Bob (March 13, 2016). "Teammates revisit Pat Conroy's 'Losing Season' at The Citadel". The State. Retrieved June 12, 2018.
- ^ McGrath, Charles (March 2, 2009). "Reconciliation at the Citadel, Through Basketball". New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
- ^ http://www.hoopshall.com/hall-of-fame/silver-anniversary-teams/
- ^ Hartsell, Jeff (February 10, 2009). "Former Citadel Coach Dies". The Post and Courier. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
External links[]
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- 1932 births
- 2009 deaths
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Indiana
- Basketball players from Indiana
- Centers (basketball)
- The Citadel Bulldogs basketball coaches
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- NC State Wolfpack men's basketball players
- Sportspeople from Richmond, Indiana
- American basketball biography, 1930s birth stubs