Fred Thomsen
Fred Charles Thomsen (April 25, 1897 – January 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach. From 1929 to 1941, he was the head football coach at the University of Arkansas, compiling a record of 56–61–10. In 1949, he became the head football coach at Southwest Missouri State College, now Missouri State University, where he served until 1952. His record at Southwest Missouri State was 19–17–4. Thomsen's career record as a head coach was 75–78–4. Thomsen played for the Rock Island Independents in the National Football League (NFL) for one season in 1924.
 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 25, 1897 |
| Died | January 7, 1986 (aged 88) |
| Playing career | |
| 1920–1923 | Nebraska |
| 1924 | Rock Island Independents |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1925–1926 | Gothenburg HS (NE) |
| 1927–1928 | Arkansas (assistant) |
| 1929–1941 | Arkansas |
| 1949–1952 | Southwest Missouri State |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1929–1942 | Arkansas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 75–78–14 (college) |
| Bowls | 0–0–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 2 SWC (1933) (1936) 1 MIAA (1951) | |
Arkansas
In 1933, Thomsen's Razorbacks had the best record in the Southwest Conference, but Arkansas had to forfeit their first conference championship because Thomsen played Heinie Schleuter, an ineligible athlete. Schleuter had told Thomsen he could play, but actually had no remaining eligibility. A member of the SMU Mustangs noticed him as a former Nebraska Cornhusker, forcing the Hogs to give up their first conference title. The Razorbacks won their first conference championship in 1936. However, TCU received the Southwest Conference's bid to the first Cotton Bowl, leaving Arkansas out of the bowl picture. Thomsen popularized the forward pass at Arkansas, attempting over 300 aerials, which caught fire across the Southwest Conference. Thomsen used two quarterbacks, Dwight Sloan for wet weather, and Jack Robbins for dry.
Head coaching record
College
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | AP# | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas Razorbacks (Southwest Conference) (1929–1941) | |||||||||
| 1929 | Arkansas | 7–2 | 3–2 | 3rd | |||||
| 1930 | Arkansas | 3–6 | 2–2 | 5th | |||||
| 1931 | Arkansas | 3–5–1 | 0–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1932 | Arkansas | 1–6–2 | 1–4 | 7th | |||||
| 1933 | Arkansas | 7–3–1 | 4–1 | 1st | T Dixie Classic | ||||
| 1934 | Arkansas | 4–4–2 | 2–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1935 | Arkansas | 5–5 | 2–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1936 | Arkansas | 7–3 | 5–1 | 1st | 18 | ||||
| 1937 | Arkansas | 6–2–2 | 3–2–1 | 3rd | 14 | ||||
| 1938 | Arkansas | 2–7–1 | 1–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1939 | Arkansas | 4–5–1 | 2–3–1 | 5th | |||||
| 1940 | Arkansas | 4–6 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1941 | Arkansas | 3–7 | 0–6 | 7th | |||||
| Arkansas: | 56–61–10 | 26–42–3 | |||||||
| Southwest Missouri State Bears (Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1949–1952) | |||||||||
| 1949 | Southwest Missouri State | 5–4–1 | 3–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| 1950 | Southwest Missouri State | 5–4–2 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1951 | Southwest Missouri State | 6–3–1 | 4–0–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1952 | Southwest Missouri State | 3–6 | 1–4 | T–5th | |||||
| Southwest Missouri State: | 19–17–4 | 11–6–3 | |||||||
| Total: | 75–78–14 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
| |||||||||
References
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Fred Thomsen at Find a Grave