George Thomas

George Edward Thomas Jr. was born on 29 November 1937 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the middle of three children. His father, George, sold real estate and had pitched in semi-professional baseball until an injury ended a tryout with the Minneapolis Millers around 1935. His mother was a homemaker who also did part-time secretarial work. His brother Jerry, two years older, became an All-American pitcher at the University of Minnesota, and the boys had a younger sister.

His father coached the town team George played on, and he came up through midget, junior and American Legion baseball. He graduated from Bloomington High School, where he played baseball, football and basketball, and then enrolled at the University of Minnesota, lettering as a sophomore shortstop in 1957. That summer Detroit Tigers scout George Moriarty signed Jerry and then offered George a contract too.

Thomas signed with the Tigers on 5 August 1957 for a $25,000 bonus. Because of the bonus rule he had to stay on the major league roster, and he made his debut on 11 September 1957 against the Washington Senators, striking out as a pinch hitter. After a winter in the Mexican League and seasons in the minors with Birmingham, Augusta, Durham and Denver, he made the Tigers' opening day roster in 1961.

On 26 June 1961 the Tigers sold him to the expansion Los Angeles Angels. Playing third base and the outfield at the old Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, he hit .280 with 13 home runs in 79 games, including his first grand slam on 9 September. Recalled by the Army during the Berlin Crisis, he served at Fort Lewis, Washington, and did not rejoin the Angels until late July 1962. In June 1963 he was traded back to Detroit, where he platooned in center field and batted a career best .286 in 1964.

In October 1965 the Tigers traded him with George Smith to the Boston Red Sox for Bill Monbouquette. After a spell as a starting center fielder in 1966 he settled into a utility role. On the 1967 Impossible Dream team that won Boston's first pennant since 1946 he played 65 games in the outfield, at third base and once at catcher, and appeared twice in the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. Teammates valued his humour and his work keeping the dugout loose. He was a player coach and bullpen coach in 1969 and 1970, and the Boston baseball writers named him the team's unsung hero after the 1970 season. Released in June 1971, he finished his playing career with the Minnesota Twins.

In 685 major league games he batted .255 with 430 hits, 46 home runs and 202 runs batted in. He then coached at the University of Minnesota, as an assistant from 1972 to 1978 and as head coach from 1979 to 1981, with a record of 95 wins and 43 losses. His 1981 team won a Big Ten divisional title and reached the NCAA Division I tournament. He later worked for an audiovisual company in the Minneapolis area until he retired around 2000.

During the 1964 to 1965 off season Thomas married Diane Lynn May of Farmington, Michigan, and took courses at Wayne State University. Their second daughter was born in 1967. One daughter, Kristin, shared his love of the game and appeared on national television during the 2004 World Series holding a sign reading THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM and GEORGE THOMAS FAN CLUB. In retirement he divided his time between Wisconsin and Florida and enjoyed golf.

George Thomas died on Friday 23 October 2026, aged 88. His death was first reported by Minneapolis Star Tribune sports columnist Patrick Reusse and was covered by Sports Illustrated on 26 October. The place and cause of death were not made public, and funeral arrangements had not been reported at the time of writing.

Thomas is remembered as one of the original Angels of 1961 and as a cherished member of the 1967 Red Sox, whose pennant race revived baseball in New England. His willingness to play anywhere, and his humour on the bench, made him the kind of teammate managers prized. At the University of Minnesota his name lives on in the George Thomas Most Improved Player Award.