W.A. “BILL” THOMPSON - INDUCTEE #86
hall of fame fast fact:
At one of his coaching stops, Archer City, Bill Thompson coached Larry McMurtry, who later gained fame as the author of "The Last Picture Show" and "Lonesome Dove". Thompson said McMurtry played on his baseball team and they kept in contact for many years.
W.A. "Bill" Thompson
Bill Thompson is considered one of the marquee players in the golden age of Amarillo High School football.
As a sophomore, he earned a letter on the way to the 1936 state championship. Known as “Blazing Bill,” Thompson’s high school playing weight was 155 pounds.
In three years, the 5-7 speedster ran for 25 touchdowns, passed for 16 TDs, kicked 17 extra points, and completed a pair of two-point conversion passes. As a senior, he ran for 11 touchdowns, passed for seven more, and kicked 11 extra points. He was named to the 1938 all-state team.
After graduation, Thompson attended Texas Christian University and West Texas State briefly before enlisting with the U.S. Navy Seabees.
During World War II, he played football on a Seabee all-star team in Hawaii.
Thompson later played football and earned his degree at Southwestern Oklahoma State where he earned his new nickname, “Bullet Bill.”
Thompson’s coaching career began at Boise City, Oklahoma and continued at several other Oklahoma and Texas schools.
Thompson retired in 1985.
