Princeville resident Tommy Thompson didn’t even know he was being considered for hall of fame status until his brother, Joe, called him from Pennsylvania back in December. Soon afterward, he received a letter from the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the
Princeville resident Tommy Thompson didn’t even know he was being considered for hall of fame status until his brother, Joe, called him from Pennsylvania back in December.
Soon afterward, he received a letter from the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame notifying him that he and nine others will be inducted as this year’s class of hall of famers.
“(I thought), ‘Oh wow. It’s a great honor,” Thompson said about receiving the letter. “It’s a once in a lifetime thing.
“All I know is that my name will be somewhere with Namath, Montana, Marino, Frazier and Stan Musial. Probably not at that level, but down there in the corner. Something like that.”
Tommy Ryan, archivist for the Bernie Romanoski Chapter of the Hall of Fame, said Thompson was selected because he was an outstanding multisport athlete in high school.
He said Thompson was a standout in wrestling, baseball and football at Shamokin High School.
“Just a tremendous overall athlete … The guy could do everything,” Ryan said about Thompson in a phone interview. “Probably should have been in years ago.”
Ryan, who is also on the chapter’s board of directors, said Thompson emerged to be one Shamokin High School’s best wrestlers as a freshman.
“When Tommy was in high school, Shamokin was one of the best programs in the state … and he won a district title as a freshman,” he said. “The high school team won three consecutive district championships and Tommy was a captain his senior year.”
Ryan added Thompson was inducted his first year of eligibility and is now eligible to be considered for the state’s Hall of Fame.
Thompson, who retired to Princeville in 1998, will go back to Pennsylvania for the induction ceremony in April. It will be his first time returning to his home state since 1997.
“That area was so great for kids. It’s a big sports area,” Thompson said of his hometown. “The biggest thing was that the teachers, coaches and parents just all supported the athletes.”
“My brother and I will go down and see some Phillies games. I’m a big Phillies fan,” he added.
Joe, who was also inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2010, said being elected is an opportunity for Tommy to return to Pennsylvania and meet up with family and old friends.
“It’s a nice affair for the whole family,” Joe said in a phone interview. “Fifteen to 20 people from our family will be there.”
After high school, Thompson went on to wrestle for the United States Military Academy at West Point where he went undefeated in the regular season his freshman year.
After graduating with academic honors from West Point in 1965, he went on to earn his master’s degree in engineering from the University of Southern California in 1968.
