OATCCC Hall Of Fame
Matthew "Mike" Thomas

Matthew “Mike” Thomas attended Fairport Harding High School where he was coached by Chet Rejeck. His accomplishments were many. Mike led the “Skippers” to two State Track Meet championships in 1964 and 1965 earning the State Meet MVP in both years. He won both the High and Low Hurdle events setting the State Meet high hurdle record in 1965, placing 4th in the long jump and anchoring the Mile Relay to a 4th place finish. He further won the Mansfield Relays in the highs, (14.2) competing against 114 other hurdlers from 3 states. Mr. Thomas finished his senior year undefeated in the high hurdles. Three weeks after the State Meet, Mike set a Kent State University Track record (cinders) of 14.3. While Mike Thomas’s accomplishments are great, they are even better when you consider that Fairport Harding had no track. They ran in the streets. For example, 220 yards was between 3rd and 4th Streets, ½ mile was around the block, and they set the hurdles on the football yard lines. Mike went on to attend The Ohio State University. He ran the 400 IM hurdles, winning the All Ohio College meet and setting the track record at Ohio Wesleyan. In 1967, he was named All Ohio IM hurdler.