Russ Thomas

Russ graduated from Columbus East High School in 1932 and received a baseball scholarship to Miami University. He received his Bachelor of Science in Education in 1938. In 1948 he accepted the Fairport head basketball coaching job along with teaching General Science and American History. In 1949 he was the Fairport Man of the Year.

In 1952 he entered the real estate business and in 1960 became an Independent Broker forming Russell Thomas Realty. He was the public address announcer for the Skippers football games. In 1965, Russ retired as Fairport's winningest basketball coach, with numerous league titles, a district title, and, in 1965, a regional appearance.

He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1968. He continued as a real estate broker until 1983 when he retired to Florida. Russ passed in 1994 in Venice, Florida.