Bubba Thornton
| YEAR INDUCTED: | 2023 |
| SPORT(S): | Football |
| YEARS PLAYED: | 1965-1967 |
Bubba Thornton
-
Played defensive back and wide receiver at Naarro before transferring to TCU
-
Selectd by the Buffalo Bills in the 1969 AFL Draft
-
Won 11 Big XII Champions as the Head Track and Field Coach at the University of Texas
-
Head Coach of the USA Track and Field team at the Beijing Olympics (2008)
Thornton played defensive back and wide receiver (1965-67) before transferring to TCU, where he also lettered in track-and-field. Thornton, a 14th-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 1969, became one of the American Football League’s top kick returners (30-749), finishing fourth in returns, fifth in yardage, and sixth in return average.
Thornton’s greatest athletic successes occurred in a 31-year career as head track and field coach at TCU (1982-1995) and The University of Texas (1996-2013). He guided TCU to five Top 10 and 11 Top 20 finishes with 39 major relay wins. At Texas, he guided the Longhorns to four Top 5 finishes and 13 in the Top 15, and 11 Big XII Championships. A Texas Track-and-Field Coaches Hall of Fame inductee in 2013, Thornton coached USA Teams at the World Juniors in 1996, the World Outdoor Mens in 2003 and in the 2009 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
