University of Wisconsin-Stout Athletics

Setting an example his son, Mark (Stout's women’s basketball coach and assistant baseball and football coach), has since mirrored, Bob Thomas deeply impacted several Blue Devil athletic programs, developing numerous All-American student-athletes along the way.

The elder Thomas, a 2004 UW-Superior Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, has played an integral role for Blue Devil athletics since 1986. As an offensive and special teams assistant coach for the football team, Thomas helped develop five All-American players.

His Stout wrestling teams compiled the most dual wins in school history and produced three All-American athletes, including the only national wrestling champion in school history. Thomas served as Stout’s equipment manager and was an assistant baseball coach. Thomas was the acting baseball coach during the 1997 season when the team posted a 25-8 record, tied for the Northern Division title, and advanced to the WIAC Tournament. The eight losses have been the program’s fewest since 1990.

Thomas retired in 1997, but has since stayed active as a volunteer coach in both baseball and football at Stout. He has also been an assistant football coach and softball coach at Spring Valley. He has yearly worked the NCAA Division I College World Series in Kansas City, has been an official scorekeeper at Stout basketball games and is a WIAC basketball officials evaluator.

Thomas currently resides in Menomonie with his wife, Helen.