"The Coach" joins Wayne
County School Board

By Davis Fisher
NL Staff Writer
Ask most anyone in Wayne County who Dave Thomas is, and they can probably tell you.
But ask for The Coach, and that increases your chances.
The Coach says that seeing former players and students are special times.
“People know me as Coach,” Dave said. “The most precious thing in my life is when I see somebody I taught and coached come up and call me coach, and tell me about something that I said or did that has meant so much to them.”
Since 1973, Thomas has been a fixture in Wayne County and a leader of young people. He has been a part of the Wayne County educational system for 32 years as a coach and administrator, and now is entering his first term as a member of the Wayne County Board of Education.
“My whole purpose for running for the board of education was I wanted to give something back to the community and students,” Dave said. “I want to support students, parents, school employees, school facilities and community schools. I want to look at each issue, and vote on the board my conscience.”
The 69-year-old has been married to his wife, Patricia, for 45 years, and the couple has five children.
Three of his sons are teachers and coaches. His daughter is a housewife and substitute teacher, and another son is a sergeant in the army, stationed in Alaska.
Just as his father was successful as a football coach, son Greg has enjoyed great success over the years as head coach at Rose. He has won three straight 4-A North Carolina High School Athletic Association state titles, and will be playing for his fourth straight this Saturday against West Charlotte at Wallace Wade Stadium on the campus of Duke University.
Dave Jr. is head football coach at a high school in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. John is head baseball coach at New Hanover in Wilmington.
“I am really proud of each of my kids,” Dave said. “They have all excelled at their selected careers. I am most proud of them for helping other people.”
Dave was the son of a minister in the Church of God, and as a result has moved around quite a bit.
He lived in Colorado, Missouri and Minnesota. He spent a good deal of time in Texas, where he lived in three different places before moving to Drexel, North Carolina, where he went through high school.
Following high school, Dave attended Wingate College for two years and played football for one year before transferring to East Carolina for his final two years, where he played football for coach Jack Boone.
A two-year starter for East Carolina, Dave received the Most Improved Award in his senior season.
He also served as president of ECU’s Letterman’s Club in his final year.
East Carolina honored Dave in 1998 by inducting him into the East Carolina Hall of Fame.
“That was one of the greatest honors I ever received,” Dave said. “To be selected as a Hall of Fame member, with such great people that have come through there, and a great university like ECU, was just a great honor.”
When talking about that honor, Dave is quick to praise people who helped him along the way.
“I had great coaches and teammates,” Dave said. “You just don’t win an honor like that by yourself. It takes a whole team of people.”
That is just one of many honors Dave has received over the years.
He was selected to the North Carolina Athletic Directors Association Hall of Fame in 2005, Charles B. Aycock Hall of Fame in 2003, and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Interscholastic Athlete Administrators Association in 2001.
He also was a sports official, President, Vice-President and a member of the Board of Directors for the Goldsboro Family YMCA, six times named state Athletic Director of the Year.
The list of honors reads like a who’s who in athletics and civic organizations.
Following his undergraduate years at East Carolina, Dave got his first coaching job in Elkin, Maryland, where he spent two years as director of athletics, head football, basketball, track, and baseball coach.
“The older I got when I left there (Elkin), I said I must have been nuts,” Dave said referring to serving as head coach for four sports and serving as Director of Athletics.
After a year away from education, Dave returned to the field as assistant coach and later head football coach at New York Military Academy.
It was during that time Dave earned his Master of Science degree in education from State University of New York at New Paltz.
Following his stint at New York Military Academy, Dave made his final move when he came to Wayne County in 1973 as a member of the Charles B. Aycock staff, where he remained for 12 years.