RICHMOND, Ky. -- Spider Thurman, one of Eastern Kentucky University's most revered former athletes and administrators, passed away this morning in Richmond. A true friend and supporter of all the Eastern athletics teams, especially football, Spider will be missed by all those who knew him. Our condolences go out to his family and friends. Listed below is his obituary.
James Wyatt "Spider" Thurman, 97, of Richmond passed away February 28, 2015 at the Compassionate Care Center in Richmond. He was preceded in death by his loving wife of 71 years, Margaret Bernice Muncy Thurman.
Thurman was the Director of Alumni Affairs at Eastern Kentucky University from 1962 – 1983 and a legendary athlete and coach. His life was marked by accomplishments and his name is synonymous with success as an athlete, coach, college administrator, husband and father. He was born in 1917 in Dayton, Tennessee, the son of a coal miner. He grew up in Benham, Harlan County, Kentucky from age seven, and soon "Spider" Thurman became a household name as he set records in football, basketball and track, earning state, regional and district honors from 1934 through 1936. The Harlan Daily Enterprise named him to the All-Century football team. He was given his nickname "Spider" after being bitten by a spider as a child in Benham.
Although recruited by University of Kentucky, University of Tennessee and Louisiana State University, Spider elected to attend Eastern Kentucky State College to play for Coach Rome Rankin. Coach Rankin considered Spider his most outstanding player in any sport. At Eastern, he directed the Maroons football team as quarterback to two Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and was named to the All-KIAC team three years and to the Little All-American football team in 1940 after leading his team to the first undefeated and untied season in history. At Eastern he also lettered in basketball and track. He received a B.S. degree in 1941 and M.A. from EKU in 1952.
He entered the US Army Air Corps in 1943 and served in India and Burma during World War II. He was discharged from active duty as a Captain and retired from the Army Reserves as a Major.
Following his military career, he began an illustrious coaching career at Clay County High School, where his basketball teams compiled a record of 279-54 during his 12 years as coach. He took his teams to the Kentucky State Tournament six times. At the time, no other Clay County team had ever advanced to the State Basketball Tournament. The 1952-53 team went undefeated during the regular season and narrowly lost to champion Lafayette in the state tournament. He also started track and baseball programs at the school and a youth football program which, with Spider's encouragement, provided the impetus for the beginning of a high school football program. The school has recognized his exemplary service by naming the high school gymnasium where he coached the J.W. Thurman Gymnasium and its court, "Spider's Court". In addition, a grade school football playoff in Manchester has been named the Spider Thurman Bowl.
Other accolades were to follow as Spider was named to the Kentucky Athletics Hall of Fame in recognition to his accomplishments in high school athletics. He is also an original member of the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame and the 13th region representative to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Basketball Court of Honor. He entered the EKU Athletics Hall of Fame for the second time this past October when he and his 1940 Eastern football team teammates were inducted. He returned to Eastern in 1962, becoming its first permanent Director of Alumni Affairs. During his 21-year career, through his leadership, the University saw the association's active membership grow tenfold. Throughout his career as alumni director, he was active in university-school relations, playing an important role in Eastern's staggering enrollment growth in the 1960's and early 1970's. The EKU National Alumni Association honored him by naming the J.W. Thurman Alumni Scholarship Fund as a tribute to his leadership.
The son of the late William & Pearl Thurman of Dayton, Tennessee, he married his college sweetheart and wife of 71 years, Margaret Muncy of Manchester in 1942. They had two sons, Tommy (Lorenda), a retired FBI Agent and current EKU Professor, Richmond, and Scott (Jan), a pharmacist, Cashiers, North Carolina; four grandchildren, Mary Margaret Thurman, Richmond; Libby Nealy (Michael), Bowling Green; Christopher, Richmond, and Laura Lilly (Rob), Powder Springs, Georgia. Spider and Margaret were blessed with four great grandchildren, Audrey & Aidan Nealy and Jackson, Stephen & Bennett Lilly.
Visitation will be held at Oldham, Roberts & Powell Funeral Home, 1110 Barnes Mill Road, Richmond from 4 to 9 PM on Tuesday, March 3. Funeral services will be conducted by Reverend Bruce Nettleton at the Richmond First Methodist Church at 11:00 AM on March 4 with internment at the Richmond Cemetery. Pallbearers will be former members of the Clay County Basketball teams: Bobby Keith, Herman Hibbard, John Rice, Ray Mills, Tony & Dorsey Short, Russell Wolf, Benny Smith, Eugene Campbell, Charles Ed Crawford, Glenn Campbell and Clyde Phillips. Honorary pallbearers are Don Feltner, Bob Roberts, Ron Wolfe, Larry Bailey, Roy Kidd, Dean Hood, Danny Hope and the 8:00 EKU water exercise class.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests expressions of sympathy be provided as memorial contributions to the Richmond Compassionate Care Center and the EKU J.W. Thurman Alumni Scholarship Fund.
