William James Thomas (October 4, 1931 – April 15, 2023) was an American college basketball player and coach.
A Buffalo, Missouri native, Thomas played college basketball at Southwest Missouri State in Springfield, where he played as a guard and helped lead the team to NAIA national championships in 1952 and 1953.
When Matthews unexpectedly died in 1964, Thomas was promoted to head coach.
[1] Thomas spent 16 seasons as the Bears' coach, compiling a record of 265–158 and winning eight Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) championships, including five in a row from 1966 to 1970.
[2] In 1974, Thomas was named the small college national coach of the year.