George Thole
George Thole, a native of Petaluma, California, received his bachelor’s degree from North Dakota State University and his master’s degree from Minnesota State University. He also did graduate work at the University of Minnesota. He taught for 33 years and has 32 years of head coaching experience with one of the most storied coaching careers in the upper Midwest. Thole played football at Petaluma California High School and North Dakota State University, where he was a two-way started at guard and a hall-of-fame selection. He began his coaching career in 1965 at Central Cass High School in Casselton, North Dakota, where his teams compiled a 27-0 record. Thole and his family moved to Stillwater in 1971. He spent 29 years teaching and coaching football at Stillwater Area High School, contributing to a lifetime coaching record of 285-69-2. His coaching accomplishments include four Minnesota state championships, two state runners-up, 18 state tournament appearances, 17 conference championships, and 12 sectional titles. Thole ranks third on Minnesota’s all-time football victory list. Other personal achievements include 95 coaching awards including the John Gagliardi Legacy Award from the Minnesota chapter of the National Football Foundation, 13 community awards, and 6 hall-of-fame inductions. Thole has worked over 77 football clinics in six states during his career and is honored to be on staff or act as an advisor/chairman to organize and promote a variety of metro, state, and regional football affiliated clinics, committees, commissions, and charities. Past president of the Minnesota State Football Coaches Association, Thole has coached all-star games in Minnesota and Ireland. He was host on the Friday Night Football Scoreboard Show (KSTP 1500 AM radio) in the Twin Cities from 2000 to 2003 and is a current member of the ISD 834 Board of Education. He remains actively involved in football with coaching clinics, speaking engagements, sports writing, and advising/reviewing training videos and documentary productions. Thole and his wife, Karen, currently reside in Stillwater, Minnesota. They have been married for 50 years and have two children: Eric, 46, and Kiersten, 42 and twin grandchildren, Kevin and Lauren, 12.
