WVU Tech Athletics

Donald “Don” Thompson was born in Little Rock, Ark., in 1935.  Thompson graduated from East High School in Huntington, W.Va., in 1952 and joined WV Tech’s Basketball program the following fall.

Thompson’s career at WV Tech was filled with great success and accomplishment.  As a center, Thompson led the program in rebounds during his four years.  The Golden Bear squad was Conference Champions all four years (1952-53 through 1955-56 seasons) averaging 103+ points per game in one season and 107+ points per game in another.  The “Century Limited” program won the Hofstra University tournament and the Paris Island Marine Christmas Tournament while Thompson was a part of the program.  One of Thompson’s shining achievements was leading the team to an appearance in the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City, Miss.

After his time at WV Tech, Thompson worked 31 years for the Corps of Engineers.  During his last 10 years of work before retirement, Thompson served as the Chief of Real Estate Division where he was responsible for 250,000 acres of Federal lands that covered four states and employed 150 employees.  Thompson is also a member of the Huntington District’s Corps of Engineers Hall of Fame.

Thompson and his wife Luchanne have two children, Corby D’Amico and Karen Lewis, and reside in Huntington, W.Va.