Men's Basketball to Celebrate 60th Anniversary of Frank Thomas' Rebounding Record at Halftime Friday
2/26/2015 9:18:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Columbia Athletics is proud to announce that it will welcome back Frank Thomas '56CC to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his breaking the men's basketball single-season rebounding record at halftime of the Lions game against Dartmouth on Friday, February 27.
At 6-4, Thomas played center and cleaned the glass like no other Lion has ever done. He still remains the only Columbia player to eclipse 1,000 career rebounds and Thomas' 1,022 boards ranks ninth on the all-time Ivy League list. What makes Thomas' mark even more impressive is that recorded the 1,022 rebounds in just three years, because during the time Thomas played, student-athletes could not play varsity during their first year. During his stellar 1954-55 season, the Brooklyn native compiled 408 rebounds. For all of his accomplishments, he was enshrined into the Columbia Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
In his senior season, Thomas was named captain by his teammates, becoming the first African-American to earn the honor among Ivy League basketball teams. On campus, Thomas was involved with Columbia's NAACP organization and worked towards diversifying Columbia's community and increasing admission of African-Americans at the University. He graduated from Columbia College in 1956 and went on to serve in the United States Air Force.
Thomas was a recipient of Columbia's John Jay Award for public service, the Alexander Hamilton Award for distinguished service to Columbia and the alumni Medal of Excellence.
Thomas's work in New York City continued long after he graduated from Morningside Heights. From 1967-77, he was the President and CEO of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation in his native Brooklyn. In 1979, he was elected President of the Ford Foundation, taking the reins of the world's largest charitable foundation.
In 2001,Thomas was named Chairman of the September 11th Fund, an organization founded by the New York City Community Trust and the United Way of New York City. Under Thomas' leadership, the September 11th Fund offered relief and support to victims and those affected by the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. on Friday night. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by clicking here. The game will broadcast by the American Sports Network and on SNY in the New York City area. Fans can also stream live video and audio on the Ivy League Digital Network.
