Fred Charles Thomsen (April 25, 1897 – January 7, 1986) was an American football player and coach.

Thomsen played for the Rock Island Independents in the National Football League (NFL) for one season in 1924.

A member of the SMU Mustangs noticed him as a former Nebraska Cornhusker, forcing the Hogs to give up their first conference title.

Thomsen popularized the forward pass at Arkansas, attempting over 300 aerials, which caught fire across the Southwest Conference.

Thomsen used two quarterbacks, Dwight Sloan for wet weather, and Jack Robbins for dry.