Inducted 1983
Hometown: Greenville, N.C.
Sports: Basketball (1952-56), Baseball (1953)
Coaches: Howard Porter (Basketball), Jack Boone (Baseball)

After choosing to play basketball at East Carolina College, J.C. Thomas started as a freshman and went on to play in more basketball wins than any other player in Pirate history.

Thomas played on three conference championship teams and made two trips to compete for the NAIA national championships in Kansas City.

The 1953-54 Pirate team, the best in ECU's history, saw Thomas as a big part of its success. He led the East Carolina team defensively during his four years and was selected as an all-conference guard by the coaches in the league as well as being named as team captain for the Pirates.