| Chris Thurmond | |
| Current Title: | Offensive analyst |
| Current Team: | Oklahoma State |
| Current Conference: | Big 12 |
| Birth Date: | 25 February 1953 |
| Birth Place: | Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S |
| Alma Mater: | Tulsa |
| Coach Years1: | 1975–1976 |
| Coach Team1: | McAlester HS (OK) (DB) |
| Coach Years2: | 1977–1979 |
| Coach Team2: | Charles Page HS (OK) (DB) |
| Coach Years3: | 1980 |
| Coach Team3: | Claremore (HS (OK) (DC) |
| Coach Years4: | 1981–1982 |
| Coach Team4: | Charles Page HS (OK) |
| Coach Years5: | 1983–1991 |
| Coach Team5: | Tulsa (DB) |
| Coach Years6: | 1992–1993 |
| Coach Team6: | East Carolina (DC/DB) |
| Coach Years7: | 1994 |
| Coach Team7: | Tulsa (DB) |
| Coach Years8: | 1995 |
| Coach Team8: | TCU (DB) |
| Coach Years9: | 1996–1997 |
| Coach Team9: | Oklahoma (DB) |
| Coach Years10: | 1998–2000 |
| Coach Team10: | TCU (DB) |
| Coach Years11: | 2001–2002 |
| Coach Team11: | Alabama (CB) |
| Coach Years12: | 2003–2005 |
| Coach Team12: | Texas A&M (CB) |
| Coach Years13: | 2006–2007 |
| Coach Team13: | Houston (CB/RC) |
| Coach Years14: | 2007 |
| Coach Team14: | Houston (interim HC) |
| Coach Years15: | 2008–2010 |
| Coach Team15: | Kentucky (DB) |
| Coach Years16: | 2011 |
| Coach Team16: | Rice (CB) |
| Coach Years17: | 2012–2016 |
| Coach Team17: | Rice (DC/CB) |
| Coach Years18: | 2018–present |
| Coach Team18: | Oklahoma State (offensive analyst) |
| Overall Record: | 0–1 |
| Bowl Record: | 0–1 |
David Christopher Thurmond (born February 25, 1953)[1] is an American football coach. He is an offensive analyst at Oklahoma State University, a position he has held since 2017. Thurmond served as the interim head football coach at the University of Houston for the final game of the 2007 season, the 2007 Texas Bowl.
Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Thurmond grew up in Sand Springs, Oklahoma.[1] Thurmond was a quarterback on the Charles Page High School football team and graduated in 1971.[1] [2] Thurmond then earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Tulsa in 1975.[1]
From 1975 to 1976, Thurmond was defensive backs coach at McAlester High School in McAlester, Oklahoma. He returned to his alma mater Charles Page High School to be defensive backs coach from 1977 to 1979. In 1980, Thurmond was defensive coordinator at Claremore High School in Claremore, Oklahoma before returning to Page to be head coach 1983.[3] [4]
Moving to the college ranks, from 1983 to 1991, Thurmond coached cornerbacks and defensive backs at Tulsa.[4] During this period, Tulsa had four different head coaches: John Cooper (1983–1984), Don Morton (1985–1986), George Henshaw (1987), and David Rader (1988–1991). Tulsa appeared in the 1989 Independence Bowl and won the 1991 Freedom Bowl. Thurmond then became the defensive backs coach at East Carolina from 1992 to 1993, Tulsa in 1994, TCU in 1995, Oklahoma from 1996 to 1997, and again at TCU from 1998 to 2000.[4] In Thurmond's second stint at TCU, TCU won the 1998 Sun Bowl and 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl and lost the 2000 Mobile Alabama Bowl.
Thurmond was cornerbacks coach at Alabama from 2001 to 2002 under Dennis Franchione; Alabama won the 2001 Independence Bowl. Thurmond then followed Franchione to Texas A&M in 2003 and was cornerbacks coach there until 2005. From 2006 to 2007, Thurmond was cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator at Houston under Art Briles. After Briles resigned to accept the head coaching job at Baylor, Thurmond served as Houston interim head coach for the 2007 Texas Bowl;[5] Houston lost to TCU.
From 2008 to 2010, Thurmond was defensive backs coach at Kentucky, under Rich Brooks from 2008 to 2009 then Joker Phillips in 2010. Thurmond's tenure at Kentucky included a win in the 2009 Liberty Bowl following the 2008 season.[6] In 2011, Thurmond joined David Bailiff's staff at Rice to be cornerbacks coach; Thurmond added defensive coordinator to his duties in 2012.[6] Rice won the 2012 Armed Forces Bowl in Thurmond's first season as defensive coordinator.