Note: The Chambersburg Athletics Hall of Fame will induct its inaugural class of 11 athletes or coaches, plus one team, on Friday, Sept. 20 at halftime of the football game against State College. Stories about each inductee and the team will be published periodically before that date.
Hall of Fame — Bob Thomas
It’s not a difficult chore to show why Bob Thomas belongs in the inaugural class of the Chambersburg Athletics Hall of Fame.
His list of accomplishments as the Trojans’ baseball coach is impressive, to say the least:
Bob Thomas
Courtesy Public Opinion
- Thomas was the CASHS head baseball coach for 51 seasons. Especially in the time frame he was coaching, that’s nearly unheard of to last that many years.
- Incredibly, in those 51 seasons, only two times did the Trojans not compile a winning record. One year they were .500, the other year they were 10-11.
- During his tenure at Chambersburg, his teams racked up 833 victories and just 279 defeats. That’s a winning percentage of .749.
- The Trojans were nearly always the preseason pick to win a league championship, and they did so 22 times under Thomas.
- There were no District 3 or PIAA tournaments when Thomas began coaching, but once they arrived, Chambersburg was usually a contender. The Trojans earned 11 District 3 titles and were state champions three times – in 1984, 1999 and 2004.
- Although it could not be verified, it is believed that no baseball coach in Pennsylvania has more wins than Thomas.
The first Hall of Fame weekend will be held this September 20-21, with the induction ceremony held at halftime of the football game vs. State College on Friday. Other inaugural inductees include Lowell “Doc” Schlichter, Dave Myers, Barry Carter, Marcia Brown, Marshay Ryan, Tom Brookens, Mitch Stahl, Stephanie (Van Brakle) Prothro, Tim Cook and Ron Etter.
High school baseball did not have postseason tournaments until 1977, and perhaps some of Thomas’s most talented teams never had a chance to compete for a title. Those same players, however, did fare well at state American Legion tournaments and Thomas was also the coach for them.
In 1979, Chambersburg reached the PIAA championship game for the first time, but was edged by State College, 2-1.
The first state crown was captured in 1984 with a 3-1 win over Central Martinsburg in the final. In 1999, the Trojans won PIAA gold by holding off Shaler, 4-3. And in 2004, CASHS ripped Peters Township 12-5 for its final championship.
Chambersburg reached the PIAA semifinals three other times during Thomas’s coaching days.
When asked about his success, Thomas would always say that his teams could not have won that many games unless they had a lot of great players. Over the years, two Chambersburg players reached the Major Leagues – Ike Brookens and Tom Brookens – and another 19 players played ball in the minor leagues.
Thomas was also Chambersburg’s head basketball coach for several years and in his playing days as a Trojan, he was an above-average athlete.
— By Ed Gotwals