Charles Ladd Thomas (October 21, 1871 – September 19, 1920) was an American

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

player and coach and newspaper reporter and editor. A native of

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

, Thomas enrolled at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, where he played at the

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

position for the

Michigan Wolverines football The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the List of NCAA football teams by wins, most all-time wins in college football ...

teams of

1891 Events January * January 1 ** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence. **Germany takes formal possession of its new African territories. * January 4 – The Earl of Zetland issues a ...

and

1892 In Samoa, this was the only leap year spanned to 367 days as July 4 repeated. This means that the International Date Line was drawn from the east of the country to go west. Events January * January 1 – Ellis Island begins processing imm ...

. After graduating from Michigan in 1893, Thomas returned to Nebraska, where he served as an assistant football coach at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

under Frank Crawford in 1893 and 1894. In 1895, he took over as Nebraska's head football coach, posting a 6–3 record. In 1897, Thomas was the head football coach at

Nebraska Wesleyan University Nebraska Wesleyan University (NWU) is a private Methodist-affiliated university in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was founded in 1887 by Nebraska Methodists. As of 2017, it had approximately 2,100 students, including 1,500 full-time students and 300 ...

. From 1901 to 1902, he served as the head football coach at

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

, where he compiled a 9–8 record.

Nebraska

After Frank Crawford left Nebraska to go to the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

in 1894, Thomas became the head coach for the 1895 season. He remained the coach for one year and had a 6–3 record while winning a share of the

Western Interstate University Football Association The Western Interstate University Football Association (WIUFA) was one of the first intercollegiate athletic conferences in the United States, existing from 1892 to 1897. Formation, history and evolution The football teams from the Universities of ...

title. Thomas took the Nebraska football team on its first long road trip with a game in

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...

to play Butte's local athletic club.

Late life and death

Thomas later worked as a reporter and editor for the ''

Omaha Daily Bee The ''Omaha Daily Bee'', in Nebraska, United States, was a leading Republican newspaper that was active in the late 19th and early 20th century. The paper's editorial slant frequently pitted it against the ''Omaha Herald'', the '' Omaha Republ ...

'' in his hometown of

. He died at his home in Omaha, on September 19, 1920, after suffering a paralytic stroke.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* 1871 births 1920 deaths 19th-century players of American football 20th-century American newspaper editors American football guards Arkansas Razorbacks football coaches Baker Wildcats football coaches Michigan Wolverines football players Nebraska Cornhuskers football coaches Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves football coaches Editors of Nebraska newspapers Players of American football from Omaha, Nebraska Coaches of American football from Nebraska {{1900s-collegefootball-coach-stub