Hall of Fame
Donald “Skip” Thorn was a co-captain of the men’s basketball team during the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons. He totaled nearly 1,000 points during his career under head coaches Tom Crist and Keith Hess.
As a junior in the 1959-60 season, Thorn helped Shippensburg compile an 18-5 record that stood as a school record for victories that would last for 22 years. He was one of just 10 honorable mention selections made by the PSAC that season from a group that included all 14 state institutions.
Thorn was the playmaker of that Red Raider squad, scoring 254 points in 23 games for an average of 11 points per contest. He opened the year as the only player to post double digits in nine of the first 10 games and later recorded a season-high 19 points at Mansfield.
Thorn appeared in 16 games off the bench as a freshman in 1968 and scored 50 points.
During his sophomore season of 1959, Thorn started at guard and averaged in double figures, scoring a career-high 28 points against Cheyney. The 1959 team created a lot of excitement on campus with a school record for victories after finishing with a 14-8 record. Thorn scored 301 points for an average of 13.7 points per game that ranked him seventh in the PSAC in scoring during the team’s 15 league games.
As a senior in the 1960-61 season, Thorn averaged in double figures for scoring. He opened the season with a 20-point performance against Mount St. Mary’s and finished the season with five games of 20 points or more, including a season-high 23 in a victory at Shepherd. Thorn averaged better than 14 points per game and totaled nearly 300 points during the season.
