Tomorrow, FAMU will officially dedicate, and name, the football locker room inside the Galimore-Powell fieldhouse in honor of former longtime head athletic trainer and equipment George “Godfather” Thompson.
Thompson was a close confidant of FAMU's legendary coach Jake Gaither, who hired him in 1954, and mentor to countless student athletes. He served in both roles until the early 80s until the roles were split, opting to take on the equipment manager role.
"Godfather", with his heart of gold, is a father figure to so many of us," one former FAMU football player posted on social media. "He pour his heart into so many of athletes from the Jake Gaither days to Billy Joe. There were none better than him."
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| Thompson, alongside former FAMU QB Patrick Bonner and former football coach Billy Joe. |
Thompson, who turned 96 years old earlier this month, is a walking time capsule of FAMU athletics history. During his time at FAMU he celebrated Rattler touchdowns, home runs, slam dunks and relay races. Thompson worked at FAMU for 49 before retiring in 2003.
Thompson led a successful fundraising campaign in 2019 to renovate and upgrade the Galimore-Powell locker room, the renovations were completed in the summer of 2021.
There will be renaming ceremonies will be held at 11 am tomorrow in the Galimore-Powell football fieldhouse.