BLUFFTON, Ohio – Bluffton University Men's Basketball Head Coach Guy Neal is excited to announce that one of its own is coming back to be an assistant for the program in 2021-22. Denny Thompson, a 2000 inductee into the Bluffton University Athletics Hall of Fame, is coming back to his alma mater after an outstanding high school coaching career at Elida.
A 1974 graduate of Elida High School and a 1978 graduate of Bluffton University, Thompson was an all-conference performer for both the Bulldogs and the Beavers. He was First Team All-Western Buckeye League and he holds the all-time single-game rebound mark with 25 boards.
At Bluffton, Thompson was 1st Team All-Hoosier Buckeye Conference, 1st Team NAIA District 22 and a Small College Honorable Mention All-American as a senior in 1978. He is still 12th all-time with 1,296 points thanks to 536 counters in 1977-78.
Thompson was a junior varsity coach at both Montpelier and Bath before finding his way back to Elida. He was an assistant with Chris Adams for 20 years before taking over as the head coach his last 15 years with the Bulldogs. Thompson amassed over 200 wins and was the Division II state runner-up in 2012.
He resides in Elida with his wife, Janna, a 1979 Bluffton graduate, and they are the parents of Aaron and Aric as well as Tara Strauch. Thompson is also a proud grandparent to Thaddeus and Marcus.
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