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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 28, 1989)
£ Monday, August 28,1989 The Battalion Page 5B evfTrack Coach Thomas expects [op another strong season for A&M ■For Charlie Thomas, each year brings new and exciting experiences. ■ As Texas A&M Head Track Coach, Thomas has seen athletes come and go, but values each one as individuals. B “I just enjoy being with the young athletes and seeing them improve in academics as well as athletics,” Thomas said. ■ “I like to see the youngsters come in and do their best and go on and graduate. I want to see them go on to be successful as doctors, lawyers or whatever career they choose to pursue.” ■ Successful seems to be an appro- iriate word when talking about Thomas. Last year, he led A&M to their best season ever, finishing just short of a National Championship Ihind LSU. “Last season will be hard to beat,” homas said. “We had such a collection of out- anding athletes last year and they |bally worked hard. I’m proud of what they accomplished.” I “One thing that is encouraging is that we have most of them back this yfear, so we hope to do well this year as well,” he said. I Thomas was awarded Coach of the Year honors in the SWC for his [edication and motivation he gave to track team last year. He certainly deserved it. His history of coaching is filled with success and accomplish- lient. In Thomas’s 31 years as head lach at A&M, he has worked with me of the best. Eight of Thomas’s ack stars have gone on to partici pate in the Olympic Games. The ost recent was A&M record-holder andy Barnes, who won the silver Charlie Thomas medal in the shotput last year in Seoul. Thomas’s athletes have won 22 NCAA individual championships and 109 Southwest Conference indi vidual titles. He has coached over 80 All-Americans, seven world record holders, seven American record holders and seven collegiate record holders. Thotnas knows that when recruit ing athletes, it’s always better to find individuals who are good students, as well as good athletes. “A student athlete has to perform in the classroom as well as in the sta dium,” Thomas said. “If you have a great sprinter who isn’t doing his job in the classroom, everyone loses. I stress graduation to every athlete I coach because I feel it is very important.” Thomas’s athletic history is almost as outstanding as his coaching re cord. Thomas was a sprinter for the University of Texas, where in 1954 he was ranked number 1 in the world in the 220-yard dash by Track & Field News after winning the NCAA championship. He won three SWC titles in the 220-yard dash and one in the 100-yard dash. As for Thomas’s expectations of the upcoming season, he remains confident. • “The Southwest Conference is the strongest conference in the nation when it comes to track,” he said. “Arkansas, Texas and SMU are al ways good. We usually have three or four teams in the conference in the top ten. I think we will have a good year and the youngsters won’t let me down. They never have before.” Thomas is married to the former Cecil Thigpen of Cleveland, Texas. They have a daughter, Patricia Ann, and a son, Joel Lynn. Thomas’s fa vorite hobby to do in the off season is bass fishing. Thomas' attitude is the key to his success. He believes in motivation through positive actions and words. Which may be why the results are al ways positive on the track. nnial fur Lnvia this couii | (Continued from page 4) I • Jockey Steve Cauthen, the i Nightoiii<Bnpi e Crown winner aboard Af- amples ofH rme d at the age of 18 in 1978, rode n lotion wl|j s f, rs t winner at River Downs in | .1976 when he was 16. startersfe • longest price on the win- ts to the li.J erof a Preakness was in 1975 when laster Derby paid $48.80 for $2. ility prodo: * The Preak ness S akes has been come oii: ens said.' heir venb I win a Ik ; run at seven different distances. Its present mile and three-sixteenths route was established in 1925. • In the 1981 Bing Crosby Golf Tournament there was a five-way tie for first place at the end of regula tion play. John Cook won a sudden- death playoff. • Princeton is credited with hav ing introduced blocking and run ning interference to college play in 1879. • Alonzo Stagg was the first col lege football coach to have his play ers use a huddle. It happened in 1896. • The time of play in college foot ball was finalized in 1910 at four pe riods of 15 minutes each. • Relief pitcher Elroy Face of the Pittsburgh Pirates had a record of 18-1 in 1959 for a percentage of .947. o see us, I ited. Wen s well run t and den e." will pla' >on, begins .SU on Ik les at ho« st Nebrail of these tti ;n last yean al is tow: d if ii for theft time bet«| and we < nts. The to it that w : e<( mason. > ■ ;1 served nl 944. I , 14 fflf; 500 or ms Babe list of Bo* irned-run -kof2.il ^ helmets ^ he Anietio ;ss , s £»' lchP «o!i idi Are you interested in the performing arts? Want to have fun too? Maybe you should consider MSC OPAS (The Opera and Performing Arts Society of Texas A &M University) Information may be picked up in the Student Programs Office and at MSC Open House held Sept. 3 in the Memorial Student Center. Applications for membership are available at Open House and in the OPAS cubicle in 216 MSC. For more information call 845-1515. 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