Texas State Athletics

Bill Thornton was a standout football player for the Bobcats, earning letters from 1970-72. Thornton was an all-purpose player for the Bobcats, specializing in both offense and defense. Bill played a variety of positions including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and defensive back.

Thornton holds a B.A. and M.A. degree from Texas State University, where he coached football for 10 seasons before coaching for six years at TCU prior to joining the Forth Worth Chamber of Commerce.

Thornton played an integral part of the success of Bobcat football in the early 1980s while serving as offensive coordinator for the 1980-82 Lone Star Conference Champions and the NCAA Division II National Champions in 1981 and 1982. He also spent time as the offensive coordinator for TCU, leading them to the Bluebonnet Bowl in 1984.

Thornton has served as President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce since 2000. He joined the chamber in 1989 as director of local business development and was named vice president of economic development in 1992. During his tenure, the chamber's economic development division was twice named one of the nation's top-10 economic development organizations by Site Selection magazine.

Thornton has been recognized as one of the top economic development practitioners by Southern Business & Development magazine and Businessman of the Year by the Fort Worth Business Press. In 2007, he was named one of Fort Worth’s 50 Most Powerful People by Fort Worth, Texas magazine.

Thornton is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce Executive and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Davey O’Brien Foundation. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Directors of the Van Cliburn Foundation and is a former two-term president of the Candleridge Homeowners Association. Thornton has also generously contributed to the Touchdown Team and the Bobcat Club since graduating from Texas State.