Thomas won nine national titles in collegiate freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling during his college career, including the 1943 and 1947 NAAU Championship at 175 lbs. He wrestled for the historic 1947 Cornell team, coached by Paul Scott, that won both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and NAAU championships.
He died of kidney and liver failure due to complications from primary sclerosing cholangitis at the age of 81. Thomas was head coach for the Beavers from 1957 to 1990, earning 22 conference titles and having coached 10 individual National Collegiate Athletic Association champions, 116 conference champions, and 60 All Americans. His coaching dual meet record is 616–168–13, the 616 wins being an National Collegiate Athletic Association record for most dual meet wins in a coaching career.
He led the beavers to finish in the National Collegiate Athletic Association top 10 on 14 occasions.
Brought the National Collegiate Athletic Association championships to the West Coast for the first time in 1961, with Oregon State serving as the host school
Served as a wrestling referee in the 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics. Elected to the Cornell of Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1970
Elected to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1980
Elected to the State of Iowa Hall of Fame in 1982
Elected to the Oregon State University Sports Hall of Fame in 1992
Elected to the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame
Elected to the Helms Foundation Hall of Fame
Elected to the Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame
Winningest college coach of all time (616 wins)
Featured in the March 6th 1989 issue of Sports Illustrated Faces In The Crowd.
Thomas won nine national titles in collegiate freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling during his college career, including the 1943 and 1947 NAAU Championship at 175 lbs. He wrestled for the historic 1947 Cornell team, coached by Paul Scott, that won both the National Collegiate Athletic Association and NAAU championships He was also named National Collegiate Athletic Association Coach of the Year twice (1961 and 1970), and Pac-10 Coach of the Year four times.
