It's Gordie Thompson ... you heard it hear first!
It's Gordie Thompson ... you heard it hear first!
Saint Francis University (Pa.) – Hired Gordon Thomson as head men’s and women’s track & field and cross country coach.
Saint Francis University Hires Decorated Gordon Thomson as Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
LORETTO, Pa. (July 24, 2009) – Saint Francis University has hired Gordon Thomson, who has 22 years of head coaching experience, to be the next head coach of the Red Flash men’s and women’s cross country and track & field programs, Director of Athletics Bob Krimmel announced on Friday.
Thomson, who has extensive experience coaching on the national and international levels, comes to Loretto after spending three seasons as an assistant coach with the Clemson University men’s and women’s cross country and track & field programs. He had spent the previous seven years as head coach of the DePaul men’s and women’s programs, and 15 seasons as head coach at Loyola-Chicago.
Thomson begins his duties at Saint Francis immediately, but will spend the next week in Chula Vista, Calif., where he will be the lead instructor for the Emerging Elites Coaching Summit, which is sponsored by USA Track & Field, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center.
“Gordon Thomson brings an outstanding background as a coach, teacher and leader in cross country and track & field,” Krimmel said. “Coach Thomson has made a positive impact on the students and universities he has served during his coaching career. Our student-athletes and staff are excited to welcome Gordon to the Saint Francis family, and look forward to his dynamic leadership as our coach.”
While at Clemson, Thomson worked exclusively with the women’s distance program for his first two years. During his third season, he was in charge of coaching all phases of the Tiger cross country program for both the men and women.
“I am super excited to join the Red Flash family,” Thomson said. “I have long appreciated Pennsylvania high school track and field, so I am looking forward to recruiting some of the best and brightest to Saint Francis. I would like to thank Bob Krimmel and the search committee for this opportunity. It was a pleasure to meet them. I can’t wait to get on campus to be a part of this athletics program. I think that Bob Krimmel’s vision for athletics is inspiring and I am looking forward to being a part of it.”
Thomson coached both of Clemson’s cross country teams to Top-10 finishes at NCAA Southeast Regionals in 2008, while both teams earned all-Academic honors. Thomson also recruited and coached Jenna Baker to All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-Region honors. She became the first Tiger runner to earn All-Region honors since 1998.
Prior to becoming an assistant at Clemson, Thomson’s tenure at DePaul produced 18 student-athletes who won Conference USA Championships, and four student-athletes who earned NCAA All-America honors. In 2002, he coached Erin Moffett to the first-ever women’s cross country All-America honor at DePaul. She went on to earn All-Region honors in 2001, and Thomson also coached three-time All-American Carey Ryan in the men’s hammer throw. Ryan finished third at NCAA’s in the hammer throw.
During 15 seasons as head coach at Loyola-Chicago, Thomson was in charge of both the men’s and women’s programs. He was a 10-time Midwestern Collegiate Conference (now the Horizon League) Coach-of-the-Year, while his men’s distance athletes earned nine All-America awards. He coached the school’s first female All-American in 1992 in the outdoor 10,000 meter run.
During his tenure at Loyola-Chicago, Thomson coached two members of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame in Eddie Slowikowski and Jim Westphal. Slowikowski was a three-time NCAA All-American and broke the four-minute mark in the mile run. He was a two-time Olympic Trials qualifier in the 1500m.
Westphal was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2006 after a highly decorated career under Thomson’s guidance. He earned four All-America honors and holds seven school records. Westphal went on to become a three-time member of the World Cross Country Championships team, and he was also a U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier in 1996.
Thomson coached Marc Burns, who was an All-American in 1989 and 1990 and holds school records in the 4x800m relay (indoor) and distance medley relay, 4x1500m relay, and 4x1600m relay (outdoor). Burns went on to coach the Loyola-Chicago program and is now the head cross country coach at Wichita State.
Prior to his head coach experience, Thomson served a total of three years as an assistant coach with the Northwestern University and University of Florda men’s and women’s track and field programs.
In one season at Northwestern, he coached sprints, hurdles and throwing events, as well as sprints and relays for the Wildcat football athletes. Several athletes scored at the Big Ten Championships.
Before joining Northwestern, Thomson oversaw recruiting and coaching for all distance events in two years at Florida. He oversaw an NCAA-record performance in the 10,000m by Beth Farmer in 32 minutes, 49.1 seconds. Florida finished seventh at the 1981 AIAW Cross Country Championship. While coaching for the Gators, Thomson coached 1988 Olympian Shelly Steely, and present Villanova head coach Gina Proccacio.
Thomas has significant experience coaching with USA Track & Field. In July of 2004, he was a USA men’s assistant coach (distance events) at the IAAF World Junior Championships, in Grosseto, Italy. In March 2006, he was the USA men’s assistant coach (distance events) at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Moscow, Russia. From 1997-2005, Thomson served as USA Track and Field’s men’s Olympic Development Chairman for the 3,000m steeplechase.
Additionally, Thomson was appointed as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships, which were held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was at those championships that Thomson displayed his coaching versatility. In overseeing the throwers, he coached four athletes to gold medal performances.
Thomson also served as President of the United States Cross Country Coaches Assocation from 1998-2000. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from Florida in 1982. He also obtained his master’s degree in Exercise and Sports Sciences from Florida in 1987. Thomson wrote his thesis on “Hurdling versus Stepping the Steeplechase Waterjump.”
Gordy will do a great job at St. Francis. he will help to bring this program back on the map.
......and be gone by this time next year!
He will be there for a while. This is the type of program he really wants. It is what Loyola was when he was there. He won't be back at any ACC-type school ever again.
Best of luck to Gordy and the rest of the St. Francis team.
Congrats Gordo! You are gonna do an awesome job at St. Francis! Thanks for what a great job you've done for so many of your athlete's over the years!
You mean a job he won't get fired from? The St. Francis job has been open three times since he was at Loyola, but now all of a sudden, it is the place for him? It is either a fallback job, or a place to retire with no expectations. Furthermore, St. Francis won the men's outdoor track title last year - what else are they going to do? Moreno wasn't stellar, but at least he won a title. They have already begun overcoming the Catone regime - I doubt Thomson has the ability, nor will be there long enough to do more than win a few conference titles in a shitty, shitty conference.
carousel wrote:
You mean a job he won't get fired from? The St. Francis job has been open three times since he was at Loyola, but now all of a sudden, it is the place for him? It is either a fallback job, or a place to retire with no expectations. Furthermore, St. Francis won the men's outdoor track title last year - what else are they going to do? Moreno wasn't stellar, but at least he won a title. They have already begun overcoming the Catone regime - I doubt Thomson has the ability, nor will be there long enough to do more than win a few conference titles in a shitty, shitty conference.
I just wanted to enlighten some forum readers about this comment.
1. SFU did not win the outdoor title, they won the indoor title on the second day. A come from behind win, after triple jump was scored and the DMR, 4x400 combo cemented the win.
2. Moreno had very little to do with SFU winning the indoor title. The team had to tell him who to place on the DMR and 4x400 team.
3. The team won with several athletes hurt, not peaking correctly because of poor coaching and some luck in the distance events.
4. Thomson will have a long road ahead of him to get this program back to the triple crown status it once held. Especially with the way Monomuth is shaping up, it might be a couple of years before someone de-throwns them at outdoor conference.
5. Thomson is lucky enough to be inheriting many athletes, most athletes who were improperly coached, 0r were not coached at all. Be sure Cross Country this year will be much different then last.
With a healthy Chris Behre, Tim Wertner, Chris Mills, Andy Mckee and Brett DiGorgio most NEC teams will be amazed by the turn around.
Well, you just lost credibility from every athlete that was on the team last year. I suggest you don't return to this thread with your negativity and lack of knowledge of the teams accomplishments.
Wow! What a huge loss.
Hey carousel, all I can do is speak from personal experience when it comes to Coach Thomson. Because I had him as a coach I went on to be a 3x div.1 All-American in both Track and Cross Country. I went on to run the indoor mile my senior year in 3:58.62 ranking me as one of the top college milers in the country that year indoors. I am a better person because of my relationship with Gordon Thomson. All of my success is due in large part to haveing Coach Thomson as my COACH! Not everyone can land the Colorado or Stanford job. Just the fact that he will continue coaching will be a blessing for the athlete's of St. Francis. Your response begs the question, "what have you done,(or not done) and why so bitter?"
Nothing to be bitter about, just an unbiased, objective observation from afar. There is a world out there besides the one you experienced with Coach Thomson when you ran for him.
carousel wrote:
Nothing to be bitter about, just an unbiased, objective observation from afar. There is a world out there besides the one you experienced with Coach Thomson when you ran for him.
You are right, but fortunately for Eddie he had Coach Thomson and he never had to face the other "world out there". Others may or may not be as fortunate.
Gordo tried some other coaching environments in the Big East and the ACC. He didn't do so well. This is the environment that does fits him. He will do well again.