Oberlin College Athletics

Dr. Phillip Thomas, a native of Hinsdale, Illinois, earned 11 varsity letters at Oberlin, four each in cross country and track, and three in basketball. He was captain of the cross country team in 1948 and 1949, and captain of the track team in 1949 and 1950. Thomas claimed seven Ohio Conference titles in cross country and track in four years. He won the individual cross country championship in 1946, 1947, and 1949, and placed third in 1948. At the 1949 NCAA cross country championships, Thomas led Oberlin to a 14th-place finish overall and second-place finish among non-university entrants. In the spring, Thomas dominated the Ohio Conference in the middle distance events. He was the Ohio Conference champion in the 880-yard run and mile run in 1949 and 1950, and placed third in the mile in 1948 and fourth in 1947. Between cross country and track seasons, Thomas joined the basketball team. He became a starter during his freshman year and averaged 8.1 points per game. Thomas graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1950 with a bachelor of arts in economics. He went on to earn his M.A. in economics from the University of Michigan in 1951, and his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan in 1961. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, with which he attended Delhi University in India from 1953-1954. Since 1956, he has been a professor of economics, first at Michigan, then at Grinnell College, and since 1965 at Kalamazoo College.