Wilfred Thomas enters his first season as linebackers coach at Northwest.
Over a coaching career that spans almost 20 years, Thomas is no stranger to success. Thomas was a part of back-to-back conference football championships at Rochester Community and Technical College and won a conference title with the Carolina Eagles. He also won a state title at West Charlotte High School in track and field.
Thomas rejoins his fellow counterpart, Brad LaPlante, after working with him during the 2010 season at RCTC. Thomas coached special teams and the secondary for two seasons, with his unit leading the nation in interceptions in 2011 with 38 during the YellowJackets’ undefeated season.
The Sanford, Fla., native most recently coached at King High School in Tampa, Fla., working with quarterbacks for the varsity team and serving as head coach for the junior varsity team during the 2012 season. King’s offense ranked second in the county in scoring in his only season.
Thomas began coaching football in 1998 in Chattanooga, Tenn., for the Brainerd Bills Pop Warner team. Since then, he’s had stops at high schools and colleges all around the country including stints in North Carolina, Minnesota, Connecticut and Florida.
As the running backs and special teams coach at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., from 2006-09, Thomas tutored a backfield that ran for over 1,800 yards on the season and had just two fumbles.
Other stops for Thomas include Orchard Knob Middle School (1999-2001), West Charlotte High School (2001-03), Barber Scotia College (2003-04), Atlantic College (2005), Brisbane Academy (2006-07) and AFC Rangers High School (2010).
He also spent one season with the Carolina Eagles, a semipro team, as quarterbacks coach and special teams coordinator. In 2007, he and the coaching staff led the team to an 11-1 record and a championship year while averaging over 40 points per game.
Thomas is a 1979 graduate of Bethune-Cookman College where he earned his bachelors in biology.
