E-Mail Coach Thompson

Fred Thompson has proven to be one of the all-time great MU coaches in a program that boasts many legendary leaders.

Thompson enters his 11th season at Millersville with a record of 183-104 (.638). He ranks third in the program's history for career wins. He is only the fifth head coach in MU's 106-season history to reach the 100-win milestone.

His teams have made four appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, won three divison titles and captured two conference tournament championships. He has three times been named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Coach of the Year.

His most recent campaign saw the talented Marauders advance to the NCAA East Regional Final (Sweet 16) for a second consecutive season. Millersville finished 22-10 and picked up tournament victories over Edinboro and University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown before falling to California (Pa.). The Marauders also defeated Kutztown in the first round of the PSAC Tournament.

During the 2006-07 season, Thompson led the Marauders to the most wins in a single season in school history (28). The team's 16-game winning streak was the third longest in school history. Thompson earned his second PSAC Tournament championship with a 79-68 victory over Cheyney and the Marauders advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals, where they lost to eventual Division II champion Barton. For leading the Marauders to the league title, Thompson earned his third PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year honor (previous awards in 2001-02, 2004-05).

The 2004-05 Marauders were picked by coaches to finish fifth in the PSAC East Division. Instead, the Black and Gold began the season with a 9-1 record, forged a second-place tie with rival West Chester in divisional play and unleashed an exciting PSAC Tournament run that featured wins over West Chester (61-57 in overtime, the first win at WCU since 1995) and Shippensburg, before Edinboro ended MU's title hopes in the "State Game," 85-76.

The 2002-03 Marauders captured the program's fourth modern-era PSAC Tournament championship -- and first since 1993 -- when they beat Mansfield, Clarion and California (Pa.) to claim the crown.  Then, in the NCAA-II East Regionals in Charlotte, N.C., Thompson guided the Marauders to tourney wins over Belmont Abbey and Barton for a berth in the "Sweet 16" (East Regional final) before they lost to Queens.

MU's 26-6 record in 2002-03 tied for the second-most wins in a season in school history. The Marauders captured the PSAC Eastern Division title with an 11-1 division mark and posted an undefeated record at Pucillo Gymnasium (13-0). The Marauders, who finished 20th in the final NABC Division II poll, won 19 of their final 21 games.  

The 2001-02 campaign marked a "breakthrough" when he guided the Marauders to their first PSAC Eastern Division title since 1995. Thompson's squad showed resilience by overcoming a 1-5 start to win 16 of its final 21 contests, including a thrilling 82-80 last-second win at Mansfield that clinched a share of the division title.  The Marauders excelled with sound defense and solid rebounding to become one of the most improved clubs in the PSAC.

Thompson made an immediate impact on Marauder fortunes in 1998-99. Emphasizing a commitment to strong defensive play, that 'Ville became one of the stingiest units in NCAA-II and PSAC circles. Opposing squads averaged only 61.2 points per game and 39.3 percent from the field against MU's aggressive man-to-man approach. Subsequently, the Marauders returned to their winning ways for the first time in three years, finishing with an 18-9 overall record.

The likeable Sumter, S.C. native came to MU from Dundalk (Md.) High School near Baltimore, where he served as boys' basketball coach during the 1997-98 academic year.

For five seasons, Thompson was head coach at Meridian (Miss.) Community College, where he posted an 84-63 record. In his first season there (1991-92), he directed Meridian to a 22-8 record, the Miss-Lou Conference championship, and a second-place finish in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 23 tournament.

Under Thompson's guidance, Meridian's cagers posted three Miss-Lou tournament runner-up placements. His 1994-95 squad compiled a 19-11 mark.

Thompson began his coaching career at Meridian as an assistant during the 1990-91 season. For three years (1990-93), he served as MCC residence hall director.

A 1990 graduate of the University of Louisiana-Monroe with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, Thompson served in the U.S. Army for three years (1983-86) and was stationed at Fort Polk, La. He received an honorable discharge from the Army with the rank of Specialist E-4.

Fred and his wife, Javita, reside in Columbia with their two daughters, Ahrehon (8) and Asonti (4). 

Thompson's Record
Meridian (Miss.) Community College
Year	Record	Pct.	Conf. Finish
1991-92	22-8	.733	1st
1992-93	15-15	.500	2nd
1993-94	13-17	.433	6th
1994-95	19-11	.633	2nd
1995-96	15-12	.556	2nd
Totals	84-63	.571
Dundalk (Md.) High School
Year	Record	Pct.
1997-98	8-10	.444
Millersville University
Year	Record	Pct.	Conf. Finish
1998-99	18-9	.667	6-6 PSAC East (T-3rd)
1999-00	12-15	.444	7-5 PSAC East (T-3rd)
2000-01	15-11	.577	6-6 PSAC East (T-3rd)
2001-02	17-10	.630	10-2 PSAC East (1st)
2002-03	26-6	.813	11-1 PSAC East (1st) PSAC Champions NCAA East Region Runner-Up
2003-04	13-13	.500	6-6 PSAC East (T-4th)
2004-05	22-8	.733	8-4 PSAC East (T-2nd) NCAA East Region Quarterfinals
2005-06	10-17	.370	4-8 PSAC East (6th)
2006-07	28-5	.848	9-3 PSAC East (1st) PSAC Champions NCAA East Region Runner-Up
2007-08	22-10	.688	8-4 PSAC East (3rd) NCAA East Region Runner-Up
Totals	183-104	.638