Endowed Scholarship Fund - Football

COACH ROBERT J. THALMAN
FOOTBALL SCHOLARSHIP
Represented by Thomas E. Gottwald '83 and Glen N. Jones '78.

Coach Bob Thalman
 

The Coach Robert J. Thalman Football Scholarship was established in 2001 by former VMI football players, coaching staff and friends in honor of one of VMI's most successful head football coaches. It provides scholarship assistance to a football athlete who exemplifies spirit, determination and a commitment to excellence.

Coach Robert J. Thalman was Head Coach of the VMI Football Program from 1971 to 1984, the longest tenure of any Keydet coach. His teams captured two Southern Conference titles (1974 and 1977), and were runners-up in 1979 and 1981. They also captured the Virginia “Big Five” title in 1977.

During his tenure, VMI football was a Division I-A program, and in-state teams were its biggest rivals. VMI defeated UVA three out of four years between 1976 and 1978. The last four meetings with UVA, UR and W&M prior to the 1981 season produced ten victories in 12 attempts. The 1981 team went 6-3-1, including road wins over Army and Virginia Tech, and remains the last Keydet football team to post a winning record to-date.

Off the field, Thalman stayed busy raising funds for the Keydet Club. He encouraged the formation of the VMI Sports Hall of Fame and formed the Big Brother program. To quote from Col. Thomas Davis in The Corps Roots the Loudest, “Initially, Thalman’s most important contri-bution to VMI football was his rampant optimism that drove out the self-doubt and hesitation…Above all, Bob Thalman prided himself on working within the framework and restraints posed by VMI. He and his coaches sought competitive players who could handle the academics and military life—people who could mature and benefit from both rigorous challenges and promising opportunities.”

Thalman was honored as Southern Conference Coach of the Year in both 1974 and 1981, and was awarded NCAA District III Coach of the Year in 1974. He was also honored by civic and sports clubs in Virginia and other states.

He coached 13 Academic All-Conference winners, and over 90 percent of his scholarship athletes earned their degrees. Fourteen of his players have been named to the VMI Sports Hall of Fame.

Coach Thalman was inducted in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame in 2003.

Cadet Daud A. Semalulu '11( Football) is recognized in the name of
the Coach Robert J. Thalman Scholarship for the 2007-08 school year.