Thornton Primed For Hall of Fame Induction
8/4/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Outdoor Track
FORT WORTH -- The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced that former TCU track and field head coach Charles “Bubba” Thornton will be inducted into the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame in the 2016 class.
Thornton, who graduated from TCU in 1969 and lettered in both football and track, will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame after a remarkable career at the helm of his alma mater.
Thornton took over as head coach of the Horned Frogs in 1982, and over the course of the next 13 years, he turned the track and field program into a national contender in the sprints. Right away, TCU captured the NCAA 4x400 title in 1983 with a meet-record time, helping TCU garner its first ever top-15 finish at an NCAA meet.
Thornton and the Frogs then went on to make a national name for themselves in the 4x100-meter relay. TCU claimed the 4x100 title in 1986 and then reclaimed the championship in 1987, 1989, 1991 and in Thornton’s Purple and White finale in 1995.
Thornton watched in 1989 as the quartet of Horatio Porter, Andrew Smith, Greg Sholars and Raymond Stewart covered 400 meters in 38.23 seconds on the track in Provo, Utah, for a new collegiate record. Nearly three decades later, that mark still stands as the NCAA record.
Throughout his tenure at TCU, Thornton developed 72 NCAA All-Americans; he guided the men’s squad to five NCAA top-10 finishes, and he coached the Frogs to 39 major relay crowns. He also coached four-time Olympian Raymond Stewart, who notched three NCAA individual titles and became the first Jamaican to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters.
Started in 1995, the USTFCCCA Coaches Hall of Fame exists to recognize coaches who have brought great distinction to themselves, to their institutions and to the sports of cross country and track & field.
Thornton, along with Terry Franson, Pat Healy, Mike Holloway, Bob Kitchens and Marty Stern, will be honored at the 2016 USTFCCCA Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 14, at the USTFCCCA Convention in Orlando, Fla.
"I'm really excited about being part of such a prestigious group of coaches across America,” said Thornton. “It's an exciting time for me and my family, and I'm looking forward to seeing everybody at the ceremony in December.”
