John `Cat' Thompson, Montana State Basketball Star, Dies At 84

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho - John `Cat' Thompson, the third player inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, was one of college basketball's scoring leaders in the late 1920s.

Thompson, who died Sunday of a stroke at age 84, averaged 17 points a game in helping Montana State to a 123-21 record from 1927 to 1930, an era in which teams seldom scored more than 40 points.

The 5-foot-10 native of St. George, Utah, was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1962.''

He scored 1,539 points in his career, a total that still ranks fourth in school history, and his 274 field goals during the 1928 season remain a school record.

Montana State coach G. Ott Romney gave Thompson his nickname when talking about the player's agility. ``That isn't a human being. That's a tree cat,'' Romney said.

Thompson finally visited the Hall of Fame five years ago to see his bust displayed.

``It's a thrill to see it for the first time,'' he said, ``and to know, I guess, it's going to be there forever.''