Cyril L. "Cheddy" Thompson (July 4, 1915 – August 26, 1972) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

coach. He was the head coach of

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

during their most successful era and led the team to their first

national title A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

1950 Events January * January 1 – The International Police Association (IPA) – the largest police organization in the world – is formed. * January 5 – 1950 Sverdlovsk plane crash, Sverdlovsk plane crash: ''Aeroflot'' Lisunov Li-2 cr ...

Career

Cheddy Thompson attended

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...

during the period when the Bulldogs supported an ice hockey program, playing for the team from 1939–1941. After graduating Thompson joined the military during the Second World War and was assigned to 2nd Air Force HQ in

Colorado Springs Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. With the war winding down

was among a number of schools who restarted (or began) Division I programs with theirs rekindling in the 1944–45 season. With the war over by the start of the next season, and Colorado College in need of a full-time coach, Thompson was chosen to head the program. Thompson's first season finished disappointingly with a 3–8 mark, but he soon got the Tigers on track with a then-school record 14 wins the next season. The following year ( 1947–48) the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

began holding a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

to determine the ice hockey National Champion. With a 19–7 record, Thompson's Tigers were one of four teams invited to participate, facing off against Dartmouth and losing the semifinal 8–4. With a 14–6–1 mark the next season Colorado College returned to the national tournament (along with all three others from the previous year) and were defeated twice, first by

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

in the semifinal (7–3) and then by

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

in the first consolation game (10–4). The 1949–50 season saw more of the same during the regular season with the Tigers finishing 16–5–1 and heading to their third consecutive tournament (along with Michigan and BC) but were finally able to win their first playoff game by avenging last year's loss to Boston College, winning 10–3 in the semifinal. In the final against

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...

the Terriers jumped out to an early lead, ending the first period ahead 1–0 but once the second frame began the Tigers took over the game, scoring 3 goals in the middle period and scoring a still-NCAA record 10 goals in the third to win 13–4. Despite the 23 goals scored in two games,

Ralph Bevins Ralph E. "Ike" Bevins (1924–2017) was an American ice hockey goaltender who captained Boston University to their appearance in the 1950 national championship game. Career After graduating from Arlington High School, Bevins joined the Navy dur ...

of Boston University was chosen as the Tournament Most Outstanding Player. Thompson got the Tigers back to the tournament in each of the next two seasons, going 1–3 in the championship, with 1951–52 seeing a major change as the Tigers became a founding member of the MCHL (a predecessor to the

WCHA The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...

) and won the conference title the first season. Thompson received the

Spencer Penrose Award The Spencer Penrose Award is awarded yearly to the top coach in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by the American Hockey Coaches Association. The finalists for each year's award comprise the conference Coach of the Year winners from each Division ...

the same year from the

American Collegiate Hockey Association The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) is a college ice hockey association. The ACHA's purpose is to be an organization of collegiate affiliated non-varsity programs, which provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes qualit ...

. The Tigers missed the tournament for two consecutive years before returning in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. While the Tigers dropped the title tilt to rival Michigan, a bigger loss came after the season when Thompson resigned as

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Honors

While a fan favorite in Colorado Springs, Thompson wouldn't receive many accolades for his work until after his death in 1972, being inducted into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Colorado College Athletic Hall of Fame twice: first as a member of the 1950 championship team in 1998 and then for his coaching career in 2013.

Head coaching record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Cheddy Canadian ice hockey coaches Colorado College Tigers men's ice hockey coaches 1915 births 1972 deaths Ice hockey people from Saskatchewan Gonzaga Bulldogs men's ice hockey players