Dick Thornton (Class of 1957)
On the football field at Taft, under Coach Joe
Kupcinet, Dick Thornton became a legend as a
defensive back for his running, passing, punting and kicking skills, named to
the all-state team and honored as
For 14 years Dick played professional
football, starring with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts in the
Canadian Football League, and captaining the Memphis Southmen
to a divisional title in 1974 in the new World Football League. He was elected
to the Blue Bomber Hall of Fame and in 1993 was named to the CFL All Time-All
Star Team as on of the best 28 players in the history of the league. During the mid 1970s he was athletic director
and head football coach at
In 1979 Dick earned the Delta KMA of Kroger
Food Company as merchandising services manager. In 1980 he joined Coca Cola’s
USA Bottler Operations. That led to
merchandising assignments with the soft drink manufacturer in