Alex M. Rivera Athletics Hall of Fame
Donald Thomas, a Winston-Salem native, was awarded a football scholarship to North Carolina College by Coach Herman Riddick. He was to help lead the Eagles to two CIAA championships, playing quarterback and defensive back.
In 1961, his sophomore year, he scored both of the touchdowns by which the Eagles defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies. His brother was a member of the A&T team, and their late mother enjoyed telling how the two fought through the Thanksgiving holiday that year.
Thomas was captain of the Eagles when they won the 1963 CIAA Championship in an undefeated season (with two tie games). His awards during his NCC career included three H.M. Michaux Trophies as a defensive back, the 1963 J.S. Stewart Captain’s Trophy, and the WSRC Radio’s Outstanding Player of the Year Award.
After working in 1964 as a graduate assistant to Coach Riddick, Thomas taught and coach in Warren County, Campbell County, Virginia and Rocky Mount. He also served as Athletic Director at Rocky Mount’s Edwards Junior High School.
