- Helms National Player of the Year (1929)
- 4× All-American (1927–1930)
- Played 3 years at Montana State University
- Basketball Hall of Fame as player (1962)
- College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006)
Biography
John "Cat" Ashworth Thompson was born 10 February 1906 in St. George, Washington County, Utah, United States to Wilford Woodruff Thompson (1883-1967) and Kate Judd (1887-1966) and died 7 October 1990 Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States of unspecified causes. He married Lola Alice Dayley (1912-2005) 22 August 1932 in Livingston, Park County, Montana, United States.
John Ashworth "Cat" Thompson was an American basketball player. Hall of Fame Basketball Player. He began his career while attending his native city's Dixie High School, whose team achieved the Utah State Championship and finished second in the national championship. He then went to Montana State University, where he gained his nickname from coach G. Ott Romney. His skills helped MSU's team, the Golden Bobcats, attain the 1928-29 Helms Athletic Foundation national championship. He became MSU's all-time top scorer and to this day remains in the top 10. He went on to play professionally for the Pacific Coast Athletic Club and to coach at high schools in Montana and Idaho. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on April 28, 1975.
He won the Utah state championship with Dixie High School team and finished second in the High School National Tournament in 1925. In college, he played for 3 seasons for MSU Golden Bobcats, during which time his team had a record of 102-11. In 1929 he won the Helms Foundation Player of the Year award and his team won Helms National Championship . He averaged 15.4 points per game when the average team scored 40 points per game.
He was named All-America in 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1930. He scored 1,539 points in 100 career college games he played. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1962.
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Mary Jane Thompson (1904-1904) | |||
| John Ashworth Thompson (1906-1990) | 10 February 1906 St. George, Washington County, Utah, United States | 7 October 1990 Idaho Falls, Bonneville County, Idaho, United States | Lola Alice Dayley (1912-2005) |
| Sidney Judd Thompson (1908-1988) | |||
| Judd Walter Thompson (1914-1986) | |||
| Clark Barnum Thompson (1919-1936) | |||
| Dallas Thompson (1925-1925) | |||
Residences
Vital Records
Idaho Gravestone
- Location : Fielding Memorial Park Cemetery (Idaho), Bonneville County, Idaho
See Also
- John Thompson
- Thompson in Washington County, Utah
- Cat Thompson at Find A Grave
- wikipedia:en:Cat Thompson