Roy W. Thompson Jr., enters his 25th season as the head coach of N.C. A&T’s track and field program, and his 29th season as a track and field coach. The numerous athletes he’s coached and even if his most casual associates know refer to Thompson as “Spaceman.” Even though there is not much “space” in his trophy case.
There are few who know track and field as well as the legendary Thompson, and there are even fewer coaches who have earned N.C. A&T as many conference championships and coached as many N.C. A&T championship athletes as Thompson.
He has won four outdoor MEAC Championships and one indoor MEAC Championship. Sixty-five individual MEAC champions and five All-Americans have been guided by Thompson.
In 1988, Thompson had the privilege of sending his first Aggies track and field athlete to the Olympics when Ruth Morris and Troy Douglas made the trip. Both athletes repeated the feat four years later when they competed in the 1992 Olympics.
Others have received national recognition under Thompson, including seven nationally ranked relay teams and eight nationally ranked individuals over his tenure. He is a four-time MEAC Coach of the Year – three as the outdoor coach and one as the indoor coach.
Despite his longevity, Thompson doesn’t act like a man ready to end his coaching journey. In the past five years, the Aggies track program has been involved in postseason competition whether it’s the Indoor NCAA Championships and Regional meets or the Outdoor NCAA Championship meets. In the last 10 years, the Aggies have finished runner-up in the MEAC five times.
The 45th Annual Relay Ranking ranked the N.C. A&T 4x100 and 4x200 meter relay teams eighth and ninth in the nation. In 2001, the 4x100 relay team finished fifth overall at the 2001 NCAA Division I Championships.
Thompson grew up in Burlington, N.C. He is a 1974 graduate of N.C. A&T. Before leaving N.C. A&T, Thompson earned All-American honors and was a NCAA Regional Champion. He graduated from N.C. A&T with a degree in political science and history.
Thompson served in the U.S. Army for four years and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. While in the Army, he participated on the Army’s track teams. After leaving the military, Thompson wanted to share is love for track and field with inner city youths.
He started the Greensboro Pacesetters track team in 1976, and then pioneered the Greensboro Champions in 1979. The youth programs are still strong today, and Thompson is still heavily involved. He is a certified track coach by the USA Track and Field Association on levels I and II.
The Spaceman has been married to his wife Linda for more than 35 years. They have two children, Marcus (29) and Nikki (26). Every member of the Thompson household is a N.C. A&T graduate.
