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Missouri State announced Sunday that Bears basketball legend Bill Thomas passed away on Saturday at the age of 91.
Thomas helped shape the Bears' basketball program for nearly three decades as a player, assistant coach and the head coach of the Bears for three trips to the NCAA Division II championship game.
He became the head coach of the Bears in 1964 when long-time head coach Eddie Matthews passed away. For 16 seasons, the Buffalo native led MSU to eight MIAA basketball titles, more than any other coach in the league's history.