Sport(s) Basketball 1959–1960 The Citadel (asst.) Died 5 February 2009 | 1951–1954 NC State 1960–1967 The Citadel Position Center | |
Born October 5, 1932
Richmond, Indiana ( 1932-10-05 ) | ||
Mel Thompson (October 5, 1932 – February 5, 2009) was an American college basketball player and coach. He was the head coach at The Citadel from 1960 to 1967 and is perhaps most notable as Pat Conroy's coach at the school during the season memorialized in Conroy's memoir My Losing Season.
Born and raised in Richmond, Indiana, Thompson played college basketball for Everett Case at North Carolina State University. Following a semi-pro playing career, he was named an assistant coach at The Citadel in 1959, then assumed head coaching duties when Norm Sloan left for the University of Florida coaching job. In his seven seasons as head coach of the Bulldogs, Thompson compiled a record of 67–96. He was named to the 1975 'Silver Anniversary Team' by the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in recognition of his basketball career. He died on February 5, 2009.