FHSU Athletics

Chas Thompson completed his 12th year as head coach of the Fort Hays State wrestling program in 2019-20. Thompson became the 13th coach in the program's history in June of 2008. Thompson is the all-time dual wins leader in Fort Hays State coaching history with 91.

With a career dual mark of 91-77-1 at FHSU, Thompson's .541 winning percentage ranks him fourth in FHSU coaching history. With a win over a top-ten ranked Central Oklahoma squad on December 5, 2014, Thompson passed his predecessor Cody Bickley as the all-time dual wins leader at FHSU with his 58th career win.

During his time at Fort Hays State, Thompson has coached 12 individuals to a total of 17 NCAA Division II All-America finishes. He has seen four wrestlers earn multiple All-America honors in Tommy Edgmon, Danny Grater, Jon Inman and Brandon Ball. Ball earned the distinction three times, while Edgmon, Grater, and Inman earned the honor twice. Eleven of those 17 All-America performances occurred in the last seven years.

Thompson guided the Tigers to winning dual seasons eight times, including three seasons with double-digit dual wins. FHSU has averaged 7.6 dual wins per season during Thompson's tenure.

Thompson's 2009-10 team posted the most dual wins in a season in 45 years with a 12-5 record. The 12 wins were the second most for a season in school history. The Tigers finished 8-1 in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference duals, placing second in the conference. The Tigers also set a school record for most consecutive dual wins with 10.

Thompson came to Fort Hays State from Pratt Community College, where he served as head coach for two years from 2006-2008.  In his time at PCC, Thompson led the Beavers to 10th and 21st place finishes at the NJCAA National Tournament and coached two NJCAA All-Americans. He also coached 11 Academic All-Americans.  His 2006-07 team was ranked as high as 6th in the nation and his 2007-08 team was ranked as high as 10th in the nation.
 
Thompson is no stranger to the Fort Hays State program, where he served as an assistant coach for three years prior to becoming the head coach at Pratt Community College.  Thompson was a graduate assistant coach for two years at FHSU from 2003-2005.  He was a student assistant coach during the 2002-03 season.  Thompson had the privilege of helping coach five NCAA Division II All-Americans as an assistant at FHSU.
 
Outside his collegiate coaching experience, Thompson has also served in several other coaching roles.  He was a coach for the Cadet National Team in Fargo, N.D., the past three years and a coach for the Southern Plains Wrestling Team the past four years.  Thompson also served as a summer wrestling coach from 1999-2008 in the Freestyle, Folkstyle, and Greco Roman disciplines.
 
Thompson wrestled for Fort Hays State University from 1999-2002.  He was a national qualifier during his junior season (1999-2000) after winning his weight class at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Championships/NCAA Division II West Regional.
 
Prior to competing at FHSU, Thompson wrestled for two seasons at Labette Community College under his father Jody Thompson.  His father is a member of the Kansas Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame, NJCAA Coaches Hall of Fame, Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame, and National Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.  Thompson earned NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore and was a two-time national qualifier for LCC.
 
A native of Parsons, Kan., Thompson compiled a record of 133-14 in his prep career at Parsons High School.  He was named the Kansas Class 4A Wrestler of the Year after winning the state championship as a senior.  He was a four-time state placer at PHS.
 
Thompson earned both his bachelor's and master's degrees in Physical Education from Fort Hays State University. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two sons, Cub and Oz.

Thompson's Year-By-Year Dual Record at FHSU