Otha Ray Thomas was one of eight brothers and a sister of Rev. Richard and Gwendolyn Thomas of Evansville, Indiana.

While a student at Evansville Central High School, Thomas played football and became an All-State performer, excelling in track and field. Standing 5-9 and weighing 128 pounds as a senior, Thomas advanced to the 1961 IHSAA State Track and Field State Finals. Accompanying the talented long jumper was Central track coach Charlie Ogg. Coach Ogg had previously guided Don Ashby to the long jump championship in 1960.

ana girl to win both the 100 meters and 100 hurdles in the same championship meet. She had five IHSAA state championship gold medals, two silver and two bronze and was nine times all-state.

A 1976 Evansville Central graduate, Cuzzort set the school one- and two-mile records. He was a four-time NCAA Division 1 All-American (two in cross country and one in the indoor 2-mile and one in the outdoor 5.000 meter) at WKU. In 1979 and 1980, Cuzzort was named the Ohio Valley Conference Men’s Cross-Country Athlete of the Year while also earning OVC Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year and OVC All-Half Century Track and Field team honors. Running for Mason-Dixon AC in 1980, Cuzzort was on a team that won the United States Cross Country Championship. In 1982, he ran 7:52.74 in the 3,000 meters. Larry would go on to run professionally for the famous Sub 4 Track Club, where he set the American 15K road record.