Robert Joseph Thalman (November 5, 1922 – January 31, 2012)[1] was an American football and track coach. He served as the head football coach at Hampden–Sydney College from 1956 to 1959 and at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) from 1971 to 1984, compiling a career college football record of 80–103–4. He led the VMI Keydets to Southern Conference championships in 1974 and 1977. Thalman played football at the University of Richmond, from which he graduated in 1948.
 Thalman pictured in Kaleidoscope 1960, Hampden-Sydney yearbook | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 5, 1922 Wheeling, West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | January 31, 2012 (aged 89) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1946 | Richmond |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| ?–1952 | Norview HS (VA) (line) |
| 1953–1955 | Hampden–Sydney (assistant) |
| 1956–1959 | Hampden–Sydney |
| 1960–1966 | North Carolina (assistant) |
| 1967–1968 | Georgia Tech (off. backs) |
| 1969–1970 | VMI (defensive assistant) |
| 1971–1984 | VMI |
| Track | |
| ?–1953 | Norview HS (VA) |
| 1953–? | Hampden–Sydney |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1956–? | Hampden–Sydney |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 80–103–4 (college football) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 1 Mason–Dixon (1957) 1 Virginia Little Eight (1957) 2 SoCon (1974, 1977) | |
Thalman was the line coach in football and head track coach at Norview High School in Norfolk, Virginia until he was hired, in 1953, to be an assistant football coach at head track coach at Hampden–Sydney.[2]
Head coaching record
College football
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampden–Sydney Tigers (Mason–Dixon Conference) (1956–1959) | |||||||||
| 1956 | Hampden–Sydney | 7–2 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1957 | Hampden–Sydney | 8–1 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1958 | Hampden–Sydney | 6–3 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1959 | Hampden–Sydney | 5–3–1 | 2–1–1 | T–2nd | |||||
| Hampden–Sydney: | 26–9–1 | 12–3–1 | |||||||
| VMI Keydets (Southern Conference) (1971–1984) | |||||||||
| 1971 | VMI | 1–10 | 1–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1972 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1973 | VMI | 3–8 | 2–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1974 | VMI | 7–4 | 5–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1975 | VMI | 3–8 | 2–4 | T–6th | |||||
| 1976 | VMI | 5–5 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1977 | VMI | 7–4 | 4–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1978 | VMI | 3–8 | 0–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1979 | VMI | 6–4–1 | 4–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1980 | VMI | 3–7–1 | 1–4–1 | 6th | |||||
| 1981 | VMI | 6–3–1 | 3–1–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1982 | VMI | 5–6 | 2–3 | 6th | |||||
| 1983 | VMI | 2–9 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1984 | VMI | 1–9 | 1–4 | 8th | |||||
| VMI: | 54–94–3 | 29–44–2 | |||||||
| Total: | 80–103–4 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
- ^ "Ex-VMI Coach Thalman Dies At Age 89". The News-Gazette. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
- ^ "Bob Thalman Coach At Sydney College". Beckley Post-Herald. Beckley, West Virginia. July 14, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved October 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com
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