In collegiate sports, few individuals have left a mark as profound as Coach N. Kerr Thompson. With a career spanning four decades, Coach Thompson was the head coach of the football, basketball, baseball and track teams for Slippery Rock State Normal School and later Slippery Rock State Teachers College.
During his time at Slippery Rock, he produced four undefeated football teams, a dozen divisional championships and eight state championship teams. He served as the Dean of Men for 11 years and put Slippery Rock in the national limelight for the first time.
A Slippery Rock native, Coach Thompson attended Slippery Rock Normal School from 1905-08, where he played football on the varsity team. He then went on to study at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. He was a football standout and was named to the All-American Team. He also starred on the baseball team as a pitcher, outfielder and notable shot putter on the track and field team.
After his time at Ursinus, Coach Thompson returned to Slippery Rock in 1913 to work in physical education for three years. He was then hired as a coach at Ursinus, where he would stay for a year before World War I, when he enlisted in the army. After a year of service overseas, he returned for the final time to Slippery Rock in 1920, kicking off his extensive career as “Coach” here.
So how did Coach Thompson capture national attention for the “small” and “insignificant” Slippery Rock State Teachers College?
In 1936, there was a controversy over which college football team should be ranked No. 1 in the country. Numerous polls and sports journalists were torn between the University of Minnesota and the University of Pittsburgh. However, a journalist from the Boston Globe, William Cunningham, wrote an article arguing that Slippery Rock State Teachers College should have the title. Many people thought the article was a spoof, believing that Slippery Rock was not even a real place. But William Cunningham insisted, “Yes, there is a Slippery Rock.”
By using scores from the 1936 season, in which Coach Thompson had led the football team to a 6-3 record, it was proven that Slippery Rock beat Westminster, which beat West Virginia, which beat Duquesne, which beat Pittsburgh, which beat Notre Dame, which beat Northwestern, which beat Minnesota. This meant Slippery Rock should be No.1. The article was well received all over the country and a year later in 1937, Cunningham proposed that Slippery Rock play Boston University at Fenway Park, to further prove to the nation that the team and school were in fact, real.
In 1939, after the game in Boston, Coach Thompson was honored on Homecoming Day during what would become an undefeated season for the Rock, with the official naming of Thompson Field.
But anyone can put together a winning team and put up great numbers, so what is it that sets Coach Thompson apart from the others? Not every coach gets not only one, but two athletic fields dedicated to their name (Mihalik-Thompson Stadium).
Coach Thompson was admired by everyone, and his “can-do” attitude was what made him shine. There was nothing Coach believed could not be done. If a student approached him saying, “I don’t know if I can do it,” he would simply say, “Well, have you tried?”
This “can-do” attitude prevailed in 1944 when World War II began, and all but 10 men remained on the Slippery Rock campus. Instead of withdrawing from intercollegiate competition, Coach Thompson informed the Board of Trustees that there would still be a basketball team that year because nine of them were “somewhat athletically inclined” and had “the desire” to play the game. He refused to see Slippery Rock athletics diminish and because he could have a team, he would.
Coach N. Kerr Thompson’s legacy at Slippery Rock goes beyond his impressive records and championships. His “can-do” attitude shaped Slippery Rock’s athletic programs and inspired generations of students and athletes. His coaching success, paired with his unwavering belief in his athletes, not only brought national recognition to our school but also instilled a lasting spirit of determination that still defines Slippery Rock’s athletics programs today.
