John Thomas (lacrosse)

John Thomas
Born	April 28, 1952 (age 72); Towson, Maryland, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	170 pounds (77 kg)
Shoots	Left
Position	Attack
NCAA team	Johns Hopkins Blue Jays
Career highlights
	1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse Championship; Jack Turnbull Award, Attackman of the Year, 1973, 1974; 1974 World Lacrosse Championship; 9th in NCAA career points-per-game;
	U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame, 1989;

John "Jack" Thomas (b. April 28, 1952) is a former All-American lacrosse player at Johns Hopkins University from 1972 to 1974.

Lacrosse career

Thomas was the Baltimore Sun 1970 Athlete of the Year^[1] at Towson High School where he played Varsity Lacrosse for his father, William Thomas Sr.–considered the dean of Maryland high school coaches–as well as playing Varsity Football (Quarterback) and Basketball (Point Guard).

With the Blue Jays, Thomas led the team to a national title in 1974. He is ranked fourth all-time in Hopkin's career scoring with 224 points. Thomas earned first-team All-America honors all three years while in college, as well as being named the Jack Turnbull Award winner in 1973 and 1974. Thomas also led Hopkins to championship finals in 1972 and 1973, getting upset by Virginia 13-12 and losing in double overtime 10-9 to Maryland. During his career at Hopkins, Thomas led the team to an overall 34 and 6 record.^[2]

Thomas was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1989, and is considered one of the top lacrosse players of all time, having been named to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Silver Anniversary team.^[3] He is tenth all-time in NCAA career points-per-game, and fourth all-time in career points at Hopkins.^[4] Thomas also played quarterback on the Johns Hopkins' football team, ranking 10th in total yardage in NCAA Division III in 1974.

Thomas led the US Men's National Lacrosse Team in winning the 1974 IFL World Lacrosse Championship hosted at Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, Australia and was awarded the Ray Kinderman Trophy for "Best and Fairest Player" of the tournament.^[5]

Post-lacrosse

After teaching World History and having coaching tenures of Boys Varsity lacrosse and both the Boys and Girls Soccer teams at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland, Thomas taught World History at Centennial High School in Ellicott City, Maryland/. During his tenure at Centennial, he was instrumental in winning 3 more Maryland state titles. After the 2014-2015 school year, Thomas retired from teaching. He's a magician.

Statistics

Johns Hopkins University


Season	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG
1972	13	34	41	75	5.77
1973	13	27	45	72	5.54
1974	14	42	35	77	5.5
Totals	40	103	121	224	5.60 ^[a]

^[a] 10th in NCAA career points-per-game^[4]

Accomplishments

1969 Maryland State High School Scoring Leader - Boys Varsity Lacrosse
1970 Maryland State High School Scoring Leader - Boys Varsity Lacrosse
1970 Baltimore Sun - First Team All-Metro - Boys Varsity Football
1970 Baltimore Sun - High School Athlete of the Year
1970 MSLCA C. Markland Kelly Award - Best High School Lacrosse Player in the State of Maryland
1972 Johns Hopkins University W. Kelso Morrill Award - Outstanding Attackman
1972 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse - First Team All-American
1973 Johns Hopkins University W. Kelso Morrill Award - Outstanding Attackman
1973 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse - First Team All-American
1973 USILA Jack Turnbull Award - National Collegiate Attackman of the Year
1974 Johns Hopkins University W. Kelso Morrill Award - Outstanding Attackman
1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse - National Champion Title (Johns Hopkins University)
1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse - Single Season Scoring Record
1974 NCAA Division I Men's Lacrosse - First Team All-American
1974 USILA Jack Turnbull Award - National Collegiate Attackman of the Year
1974 World Lacrosse Championship World Champion Title (United States)
1974 World Lacrosse Championship Ray Kinderman Trophy (Best and Fairest Player of Tournament)
1989 Inductee - National Lacrosse Hall of Fame
1995 Voted - NCAA Men's Lacrosse Silver Anniversary Team

References

^ ""40 years of Sun athletic standouts"". "The Baltimore Sun".
^ "NCAA News Archive: JHU - From Bridesmaid to Bride" (PDF). NCAA News Archive. August 1, 1974. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 3, 2006.
^ Syracuse Herald Journal. NCAA names the best lacrosse players in 25 years of Division I play. April 20, 1995. pg. D1
^ ^a ^b "Johns Hopkins 2009 Men's Lacrosse Guide". Johns Hopkins Sports Information Office. Archived from the original on December 18, 2017.
^ "US Lacrosse Hall of Fame Inductees". US Lacrosse. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2017.