ECU Athletics Mourns Passing of Dave Thomas
January 23, 2018 | General
Full Obituary
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GREENVILLE, N.C. – The ECU Athletics community is mourning the loss of Dave Thomas Sr., who passed away Sunday at the age of 80.
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Thomas, who was inducted into the university's athletics hall of fame in 1998, was a multi-sport standout for the Pirates. Most notably, he was a three-year football letterman and two-year starter beginning in 1957, and was the recipient of the team's "most improved award" following his senior campaign in 1959. Thomas also served as president of the ECU Letterman's Club during his final year before earning a bachelor's of science degree in physical education in 1960.
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After obtaining his master's degree in education from the State University of New York in 1972, Thomas returned to ECU where he graduated with administrator principal and curriculum instruction specialist certificates in 1982.
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Thomas positively impacted and influenced countless of young lives during a successful 42-year career as a teacher, coach and athletics director with Wayne County Public Schools. Just two years after officially being certified as an athletics administrator by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), Thomas was selected as AD-of-the-Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) in 1998.
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He also devoted many years of service as a highly-rated NCHSAA game official for numerous sports.
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A service to celebrate his life will be held Thursday, January 25 at 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of The First Pentecostal Holiness Church (1100 The First Church Road, Goldsboro, N.C.).
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Thomas, who was inducted into the university's athletics hall of fame in 1998, was a multi-sport standout for the Pirates. Most notably, he was a three-year football letterman and two-year starter beginning in 1957, and was the recipient of the team's "most improved award" following his senior campaign in 1959. Thomas also served as president of the ECU Letterman's Club during his final year before earning a bachelor's of science degree in physical education in 1960.
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After obtaining his master's degree in education from the State University of New York in 1972, Thomas returned to ECU where he graduated with administrator principal and curriculum instruction specialist certificates in 1982.
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Thomas positively impacted and influenced countless of young lives during a successful 42-year career as a teacher, coach and athletics director with Wayne County Public Schools. Just two years after officially being certified as an athletics administrator by the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), Thomas was selected as AD-of-the-Year by the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) in 1998.
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He also devoted many years of service as a highly-rated NCHSAA game official for numerous sports.
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A service to celebrate his life will be held Thursday, January 25 at 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary of The First Pentecostal Holiness Church (1100 The First Church Road, Goldsboro, N.C.).
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