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308:"John Thomas of Chicago has that rare art of carrying through his charge with his feet still under him, ready for a further drive. When he strikes, he strikes hard, but he has still a later thrust of power so that the ordinary check in a line does not stop his forward progress. He would be the most dashing of the three in this All-American backfield (*). His work shone in other games but it was particularly brilliant in the Princeton game. It is safe to say he did far more against the Princeton line in effective
403:, the year the community built its new state-of-the art high school. In his three years as Danville High School's football coach, the former All-American coached his teams to undefeated seasons in the falls of 1924 and 1925. In the fall of 1926, his Danville High School Maroons compiled a record of 2–5–2. Thomas also coached basketball and track during his tenure at Danville High School with his track team winning the state championship in 1925. From 1924 to 1927, he taught physical education at the school.
372:. Prior to the game, John's brother Harry Thomas had been declared ineligible, so Stagg played John at halfback, which Stagg later wrote cost Chicago the game and possible conference championship. During Thomas's tenure with the Maroons, they outscored their opponents 333 to 72, allowing their opponents into double digits only once (1922 Princeton). Comparatively, the three years before, (1918–1920), the Maroons were 8–12. The three years after (1924–1926) they were 9–11–4.
357:(record 8–0) due to three missed extra points. The three touchdowns were all scored by Thomas, who fell two feet short at the goal line on his fourth attempt with time expiring. This was Princeton's closest game of the season (21–18) and was the first football game ever broadcast on radio. It marked the first time an Eastern powerhouse had journeyed West. It is also listed by some as one of the greatest sports moments in history.
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During 1922 and 1923 he played with his brother Harry Thomas in the
University of Chicago backfield. Harry was named All-Big Ten in 1924. In addition to Harry, he had two other younger brothers, Lloyd Thomas and Max Thomas, who played in the backfield for
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from 1926 to 1928. Lloyd was a member of the 1928 USC National
Championship team, 2nd Team NEA All-American, Associated Press All-Pacific Coast Team, and winner of the 1928 USC Davis-Teschke Award.
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In 1923 Stagg held Thomas out of the first games due to a summertime appendicitis operation. Despite his operation, Thomas had another solid year. He was named All-Big Ten
Conference alongside
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that year. That game was the first
Western triumph over an Eastern powerhouse and was a primary stimulus in college football becoming a national game.
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A Football
Classic, Library of Princeton University, Department of Health and Physical Education, Compiled for private circulation, C.R. Gray, 1929
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In his years with the
Maroons, they were 18–3–1 (6–1, 5–1–1, 7–1). These three losses were by a total of 17 points. The first in 1921 was to
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Stagg's
University - The Rise, Decline, & Fall of Big-Time Football at Chicago, Robin Lester, Illini Books Edition, 1999, p. 118-119
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Stagg's
University - The Rise, Decline, & Fall of Big-Time Football at Chicago, Robin Lester, Illini Books Edition, 1999, p. 118
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Stagg's
University - The Rise, Decline, & Fall of Big-Time Football at Chicago, Robin Lester, Illini Books Edition, 1999, p. 174
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in 1924 under the alias "John
Webster" because his wife Mildred (née Whipple) had asked him to give up the game.
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by a score of 7–0 after returning from their triumph over the Tigers at Princeton. The second was a home loss at
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Red Grange and the Rise of Modern Football, John M. Carroll, University of Illinois Press, 1999, p.55
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as a sophomore. He wore numbers 2 and 5. In 1921 he was picked by many writers to their All-
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Touchdown!, A.A. Stagg & W.W. Stout, Longmons, Green, & Co., New York, 1927, p. 338
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Touchdown!, A.A. Stagg & W.W. Stout, Longmons, Green, & Co., New York, 1927, p. 341
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Sports of the Times - Great Moments in Sports History, Arno Press, New York, 1981, p. 22
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College Football Historical Society Newsletter, Volume 8, No. 2, February 1995, p. 15
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team citing him as the driving force behind the Chicago road victory (9–0) over
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picked him as his 1st team Fullback in his Junior year. Of Thomas, Camp wrote:
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In September 1924, Thomas took over the reins of the sports program at
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The 1925, 1926, and 1927 Danville High School Medley (school yearbook)
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Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians head football coaches
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From 1927 to 1929 he coached at what was then known as the
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scoring than did any backs of the East who met the Tigers."
315:(*) Camp refers to his 1922 backfield selections: Thomas,
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Haskell Indian Nations Fighting Indians football coaches
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He went on to sneak in two professional games for the
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278:and was chosen All-State fullback both years.
16:American football player and coach (1900–1977)
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230:(February 13, 1900 – August 19, 1977) was an
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702:Chicago Tribune Obituary, August 21, 1977
360:The third was a 7–0 road loss in 1923 to
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1054:1922 College Football All-America Team
1229:All-American college football players
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270:. In 1919 and 1920 he played for
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675:. profootballarchives
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283:University of Chicago
244:University of Chicago
1056:consensus selections
826:Albert E. Herrnstein
733:at Wikimedia Commons
438:Head coaching record
397:Danville High School
364:(record 8–0) led by
163:Head coaching record
39:Biographical details
1095:John Webster Thomas
922:John Webster Thomas
731:John Webster Thomas
716:John Webster Thomas
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432:Woodstock, Illinois
228:John Webster Thomas
74:Woodstock, Illinois
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22:John Webster Thomas
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1130:John Thurman
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1002:Jimmy Snyder
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954:Jack Carmody
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898:Bud Saunders
890:Antonio Lubo
850:Bemus Pierce
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720:Find a Grave
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190:All-American
69:(1977-08-19)
33:Thomas, 1923
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1189:1977 deaths
1184:1900 births
1087:Harry Kipke
1012:(2013–2014)
1010:Rich Brewer
1004:(2011–2012)
988:(2002–2009)
964:(1939–1999)
956:(1937–1938)
948:(1935–1936)
940:(1933–1934)
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924:(1927–1928)
916:(1922–1926)
914:Dick Hanley
908:(1920–1921)
900:(1918–1919)
876:(1911–1915)
860:(1908–1909)
828:(1903–1904)
812:(1900–1901)
784:(1896–1897)
481:(1927–1928)
351:Stagg Field
321:Harry Kipke
302:Walter Camp
268:World War I
120:Position(s)
1178:Categories
1138:Herb Treat
986:Eric Brock
906:Matty Bell
790:Sal Walker
679:August 29,
557:References
461:Conference
422:Later life
366:Red Grange
347:Ohio State
328:Red Grange
188:Consensus
50:1900-02-13
1079:Eddie Kaw
1062:Backfield
946:John Levi
938:Gus Welch
834:Boyd Hill
464:Standing
416:John Levi
317:Eddie Kaw
300:In 1922,
295:Princeton
149:1927–1928
139:1924–1926
96:1921–1923
90:Jamestown
86:1919–1920
530:Haskell:
458:Overall
336:and the
240:fullback
124:Fullback
962:No team
782:Unknown
514:Haskell
493:Haskell
353:to the
242:at the
168:Overall
153:Haskell
100:Chicago
996:(2010)
980:(2001)
972:(2000)
892:(1917)
884:(1916)
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820:(1902)
804:(1899)
800:&
792:(1898)
548:10–8–1
544:Total:
534:10–8–1
362:Illini
285:under
181:Awards
76:, U.S.
59:, U.S.
497:5–3–1
455:Team
452:Year
414:with
238:as a
1105:Line
681:2024
509:1928
488:1927
209:1923
205:1922
201:1921
194:1922
106:1924
64:Died
44:Born
1093:FB
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1077:HB
1069:QB
718:at
518:5–5
410:in
399:in
378:USC
274:in
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132:HC
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