Chris Thomsen

Last updated

Chris Thomsen
Current position
TitleTight ends coach
Team Florida State
Conference ACC
Biographical details
Born (1968-11-07) November 7, 1968 (age 53)
Vernon, Texas
Playing career
1988–1990 TCU
1991–1993 Abilene Christian
Position(s) Tight end
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1994–1999 Abilene Christian (assistant)
2001–2002 Wichita Falls HS (TX) (OC)
2003–2004 Central Arkansas (OL)
2005–2011 Abilene Christian
2012 Texas Tech (OL / interim HC)
2013–2016 Arizona State (OL)
2017–2019 TCU (OL)
2020–present Florida State (DHC/TE)
Head coaching record
Overall52–21 (10 wins vacated) [A 1]
Bowls1–0
Tournaments2–5 (1 win vacated) [A 1]
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
2 Lone Star (2008, 2010)
Awards
LSC South Division Coach of the Year (2006)

Chris Thomsen (born November 7, 1968) is an American football coach. He is the tight ends coach at Florida State University. Thomsen was the head coach of the Wildcats football program at Abilene Christian University (ACU), from 2005 through 2011. Thomsen also served as the interim head football coach at Texas Tech University for one game in 2012, the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas.

Contents

Coaching career

Early years

Thomsen is a 1993 ACU graduate and a former Wildcats tight end. Following his graduation, he remained at ACU, first as a graduate assistant and then working his way up to offensive line coach, recruiting coordinator, offensive coordinator, and, finally, assistant head coach. In 1998, the Wildcats finished 18th in the nation in passing under the direction of Thomsen, who was the offensive coordinator.

Prior to transferring to ACU, Thomsen played football three seasons (1988–90) and baseball one season (All-America and All-Southwest Conference with 21 home runs and a .373 batting average) at TCU before being selected in the 17th round of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Oakland Athletics. Thomsen went on to play for two seasons in Oakland's minor league system.

In the 1991 season, Thomsen became the only TCU player in program history to hit for a home run cycle in a March 1, 1991, doubleheader against Northeast Louisiana (now UL Monroe). In the first game, he had an inside-the-park home run, a three-run home run and a two-run home run. In the second game he had another solo home run and a grand slam. He was 5-for-7 with five homers and 11 RBI in the doubleheader.

He went on to earn first team All-SWC and All-America honors and was also a member of the SWC Postseason Baseball Championship All-Tournament team. He was voted the TCU Male Athlete of the Year in 1991. He earned a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from TCU in December 1993 and received his master's in secondary education from ACU in 2000.

In 1999, Thomsen left ACU to go into private business, but eventually returned to coaching as he became offensive coordinator at Wichita Falls High School in 2001. With Thomsen calling the plays, the Coyotes won back-to-back district titles and led the district in scoring both seasons (34 points per game in 2001 and 42 ppg in 2002). In 2002 they set the school's single-season record for most points in a season, and the quarterback set the school's single-season record for touchdown passes. Following his tenure at Wichita Falls High School, Thomsen served a two-year stint as offensive line coach at the University of Central Arkansas.

Abilene Christian

In 2005, Thomsen returned to his alma mater, succeeding Gary Gaines as the ACU Wildcats head coach. In 2006, he led the Wildcats to an 8–3 record and the program's first berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs. He was named the Lone Star Conference South Division Coach of the Year.

In 2008, Abilene Christian finished the regular season undefeated for the first time since 1950. In the NCAA Division II Playoff second round the Wildcats knocked off rival West Texas A&M University 93–68, the 93 points an NCAA playoff record. [1] In December 2008, Thomsen applied for the vacant head coaching position at Northwestern State University and was named among the six finalists. [2] Other finalists included Bradley Dale Peveto, co-defensive coordinator at Louisiana State University and a former Northwestern State assistant, who eventually got the job. [3]

In 2011, Thomsen left ACU for an assistant position at Arizona State but left before the beginning of the 2012 season. [4]

Texas Tech

On February 3, 2012 it was announced that Thomsen would be leaving his position at Arizona State to accept the position of offensive line coach for the Texas Tech Red Raiders [5] On December 8, 2012, Red Raiders head coach Tommy Tuberville resigned to take the same position with the Cincinnati Bearcats football program, and two days later Thomsen was named interim head coach replacing Tuberville. [6] Thomsen lead the team to a victory in the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas against Minnesota.

Arizona State

Following the bowl victory, Arizona State hired Thomsen once more to be their running backs coach. [7] As of March 19, 2013 Thomsen was moved to offensive line coach for the Sun Devils. [8] Also on the staff was offensive coordinator Mike Norvell, who had played at Central Arkansas during Thomsen's tenure there. After the 2016 season Thomsen departed Arizona State to become the offensive line coach at Texas Christian University under Gary Patterson. [9]

TCU

Thomsen coached the offensive line at TCU for three seasons.

Florida State

At the end of the 2019 season he left TCU to be reunited with Norvell, the new head coach at Florida State University. [9] Norvell named him tight ends coach and deputy head coach. [10] Thomsen served as acting head coach for a single game after Norvell tested positive for the coronavirus. [11]

Head coaching record

YearTeamOverallConferenceStandingBowl/playoffs
Abilene Christian Wildcats (Lone Star Conference)(2005–2011)
2005 Abilene Christian4–64–5T–8th
2006 Abilene Christian8–37–2T–2ndL NCAA Division II First Round
2007 Abilene Christian0–3 (10–3) [A 1] 0–1 (8–1) [A 1] 6th (2nd (South)) [A 1] L NCAA Division II Second Round [A 1]
2008 Abilene Christian11–19–01st (South)L NCAA Division II Quarterfinal
2009 Abilene Christian9–46–3T–5th (South)L NCAA Division II Second Round
2010 Abilene Christian11–110–01st (South)L NCAA Division II Second Round
2011 Abilene Christian8–37–12ndL NCAA Division II First Round
Abilene Christian:51–21 (61–21) [A 1] 43–12 (51–12) [A 1]
Texas Tech Red Raiders (Big 12 Conference)(2012)
2012 Texas Tech 1–0 [A 2] W Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas [A 2]
Texas Tech:1–0
Total:52–21 (61–21) [A 1]
      National championship        Conference title        Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 games, including 8 conference games, and 1 post-season game, were vacated by the NCAA for violations.
  2. 1 2 Thomsen coached the 2012 Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas after head coach Tommy Tuberville resigned after a 7–5 (4–5 Big 12) regular season.

Related Research Articles

Michael Joseph Stoops is an American football coach and former player, who is the inside linebackers coach at the University of Kentucky. Stoops also served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona from 2003 until his firing during the 2011 season. He previously served as an assistant football coach at the University of Iowa, Kansas State University, and University of Oklahoma. He is the younger brother of Bob Stoops, the interim head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football program, and the older brother of Mark Stoops, head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats football program. He returned to Oklahoma as the defensive coordinator in 2012. He served in the position until he was fired on October 7, 2018. After spending time at the University of Alabama as an analyst, he spent one season as the defensive coordinator of the Florida Atlantic Owls in 2021.

Hal Clay Mumme is an American football coach and former player. He most recently served as an offensive advisor for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL. Previously, Mumme served as the head football coach at Iowa Wesleyan College, Valdosta State University, the University of Kentucky, Southeastern Louisiana University, New Mexico State University, McMurry University, and Belhaven University. Mumme is known for being one of the founders of the air raid offense.

Sonny Jack Cumbie is an American football coach and former quarterback who is currently the head coach at Louisiana Tech University. He previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Tech University and was the interim head coach after the departure of Matt Wells in 2021. He also previously served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Texas Christian University (TCU). Cumbie played college football at Texas Tech and was their starting quarterback during the 2004 season, when he led the nation in passing and total offense, a guided the Red Raiders to win in the 2004 Holiday Bowl, earning MVP honors for the game. Cumbie played professionally in the Arena Football League, the Indoor Football League, and briefly in the National Football League (NFL).

Arizona Wildcats football University of Arizona football team

The Arizona Wildcats football program represents the University of Arizona (UA) in the sport of American college football. Arizona competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the South Division of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). They play their home games in Arizona Stadium on the university's Tucson campus, which opened in 1939 and has a capacity of 50,782. The team is coached by Jedd Fisch.

Todd Graham American football coach

Michael Todd Graham is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (2020–2021). Graham has served as the head football coach at Rice University (2006), the University of Tulsa (2007–2010), the University of Pittsburgh (2011), and Arizona State University (2012–2017).

Noel Scott Mazzone is an American football coach and former player who is the current Offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL). He is former offensive coordinator at the University of Arizona.

Wallace "Coach Bully" Bullington was a former American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He served Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas for 39 years as football player, assistant football coach, head football coach and athletic director before he retired from the university's athletic staff in 1988, but not before leading the school to its first national championship in 1973.

John D. Payne was an American collegiate and professional football coach. He served as head coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1973–1976), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1978–1980) and Ottawa Rough Riders (1996) of the Canadian Football League (CFL), compiling a career record of 62–63–3. Payne also was the head football coach at Abilene Christian University from 1985 to 1990, posting a mark of 26–34–2.

Jeff Grimes is an American football coach who is currently the offensive coordinator at Baylor University. He was previously the offensive coordinator at Brigham Young University (BYU) from 2017 to 2020, Louisiana State University's (LSU) offensive line coach and run game coordinator from 2014 to 2017, and the offensive line coach at both Virginia Tech in 2013 and Auburn University from 2009 to 2012. In addition, he was the assistant head coach, run game coordinator and offensive line coach at the University of Colorado from 2007 to 2008, BYU's offensive line coach from 2004 to 2006, offensive line coach and run game coordinator at Arizona State University (ASU) from 2001 to 2003, and offensive line coach at Boise State University (BSU) in 2000.

Jay Norvell American football player and coach (born 1963)

Merritt James Norvell III is an American college football coach and former player who is currently the head coach for the Colorado State Rams. Norvell served as the head football coach at University of Nevada, Reno from 2017 to 2021.

John Lovett is an American football coach He was the defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL) from 2013–2014. He was the defensive coordinator for Maine in 1994, Auburn from 1999–2001, Clemson from 2002–2004, Bowling Green from 2005–2006, and Miami from 2009–2010.

The History of Texas Tech Red Raiders football covers 95 seasons since the team began play as the "Matadors" in 1925.

2012 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team American college football season

The 2012 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big 12 Conference. Tommy Tuberville lead the Red Raiders in his third season as the program's fourteenth head coach. The Red Raiders played home games on the university's campus in Lubbock, Texas at Jones AT&T Stadium. They finished the season 8–5, 4–5 in Big 12 play to finish in a four way tie for fifth place. They were invited to the Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas where they defeated Minnesota.

2013 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team American college football season

The 2013 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season as members of the Big 12 Conference. Kliff Kingsbury led the Red Raiders in his first season as the program's fifteenth head coach. The Red Raiders played home games on the university's campus in Lubbock, Texas at Jones AT&T Stadium.

Joseph Charles Golding is an American basketball coach and former player. He is currently the head men's basketball coach at The University of Texas at El Paso, having previously served in the same capacity at Abilene Christian University, where he played point guard from 1994 to 1998.

Ken Collums American football player and coach (born 1972)

Kenneth Layne Collums is an American college football coach and former player. He is the offensive coordinator and quarterback coach at the University of Central Arkansas, a position he has held since 2018. Collums served as the head football coach at Abilene Christian University from 2012 to 2016, compiling a record of 24–32. Prior to his promotion to head coach, for seven seasons he was the Wildcats' offensive coordinator. As a student-athlete, Collums was a four-year starting quarterback for the Central Arkansas, leading the Bears to the NAIA Division I Football Championship in 1991.

2012 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team American college football season

The 2012 Abilene Christian Wildcats football team represented Abilene Christian University in the 2012 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The Wildcats were led by first year head coach Ken Collums and played their home games at Shotwell Stadium in Abilene, Texas.

2012 Lone Star Conference football season American college football season

The 2012 Lone Star Conference football began on August 30 when West Texas A&M lost to CSU-Pueblo and ended with West Texas A&M loss against Winston-Salem in the NCAA D2 Semi Final on December 8. It was Abilene Christian and Incarnated Word last season before they moved to NCAA D1 Southland Conference.

2021 TCU Horned Frogs football team American college football season

The 2021 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Horned Frogs played their home games at the Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth, Texas, and competed in the Big 12 Conference. The team was coached by twenty-first-year head coach Gary Patterson until he left the program after 8 games. He was replaced by special assistant coach Jerry Kill on an interim basis.

2022 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team American college football season

The 2022 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team will represent Texas Tech University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Red Raiders will play their home games at Jones AT&T Stadium and Cody Campbell Field in Lubbock, Texas, and compete in the Big 12 Conference. They will be led by first-year head coach Joey McGuire.

References

  1. Phillips, Troy (November 24, 2008). "Glory days are back at Abilene Christian". Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
  2. Byrd, Jerry (December 12, 2008). "Six finalists for Demons job". Bossier Press-Tribune .[ permanent dead link ]
  3. Richards, Joey (December 19, 2008). "ACU coach staying; star back signs with agent". Abilene Reporter-News . Archived from the original on April 18, 2009.
  4. "ASU Football Coach Todd Graham Names Chris Thomsen To His Coaching Staff". Arizona State University. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. Graham, Mike. "Thomsen will join coaching staff". redraidersports.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  6. "Tech's Chris Thomsen interim coach". ESPN. December 10, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  7. Haller, Doug. "ASU football hires Chris Thomsen as running-backs coach". azcentral.com. Retrieved February 21, 2013.
  8. "ASU's Chris Thomsen Moved to Offensive Line Coach; Bo Graham Promoted to Running Backs Coach". www.thesundevils.com. Retrieved August 4, 2013.
  9. 1 2 Davison, Drew (December 18, 2019). "TCU loses another assistant. O-line coach Chris Thomsen headed to Florida State". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  10. Weiler, Curt (January 19, 2020). "Chris Thomsen ready to help where he's needed as FSU's deputy head coach". Tallahassee Democrat . Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  11. Adelson, Andrea (September 19, 2020). "FSU coach Norvell tests positive for coronavirus". ESPN . Retrieved September 19, 2020.