Background
He was born in Upland, California.
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Tommy Thompson
Edit ProfileEducation
Thompson graduated from Chaffey Union High School and attended Chaffey College and the University of Kansas.
Career
As a player, he stood 6"1" (185 meters) tall and weighed 160 pounds (73 kg). He threw and batted right-handed. He then played eight seasons (1967–1974) as a shortstop, third baseman and second baseman in the farm system of the Saint Louis Cardinals, spending one season, 1973, at the Triple-A level, where he batted only.220 for the Tulsa Oilers.
Thompson was an infield instructor in the Saint Louis organization before beginning his managerial career on June 14, 1977, taking over for Buzzy Keller as skipper of the Cardinals" Arkansas Travelers Double-A affiliate.
He managed for the next 17 full seasons (1978–1994) in minor league baseball, working for the Cardinals, Montreal Expos and Texas Rangers, and winning two additional league championships. He managed at the Triple-A level for the Springfield Redbirds and Oklahoma City 89ers.
All told, his record as a manager was 1,258 victories and 1,172 losses (518). As a scout for the Florida Marlins, Thompson played a key role in the Marlins" selection of All-Star second baseman Dan Uggla from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2005 Rule 5 draft.
