John “J.T.” Thompson
Time period/Baraboo: “17 years”
Submitted by: Patricia Thompson
Fondly known as JT, Coach John Thompson was the head football coach for six years at Baraboo High School. His football teams enjoyed outstanding success, winning 37 games, losing 9, tying 2. Four of those loses came in his first year. The 1961 team was one of the best in Baraboo history, winning the South Central Conference title with an 8-0 season while being ranked 7th in the state. The town of Baraboo packed the streets 3 to 4 people deep the Friday night BHS won the conference title, cheering le coaches, players and the BHS marching band in a huge victory parade and street party around the Square. Truly an event those many hundreds of people still remember with much pride.
Coach Thompson was also the tennis coach with 3 teams qualifying for state tournaments.
During his tenure as an American History teacher in the senior high school, he had exemplary results in coaching high school seniors for the State Elks Constitution Contest. In 12 years under Thompson’s tutelage, 9 contestants placed among the top 7 places in the state, including Bea Wenban, a BHS senior winning 1st place in the state contest.
During the summers, Coach Thomson managed and operated all the concession stands in the Circus World museum, starting in 1959 when the museum first opened. Each summer he offered employment opportunities to many students from BHS.
John Thompson was a teacher, coach, mentor and well known and respected friend to many in the city of Baraboo.