2012 Inductee Ray C. Thomas

Thomas transitioned to the insurance industry after more than a decade of coaching football at the high-school and college levels. The Rhea County native began his insurance career as a “trainee agent” with State Farm in Knoxville in 1973, where he was promoted to manager after three years.

He served in that capacity from 1976 to 1995, then became a State Farm Insurance senior agency field consultant until 2004. Now a Murfreesboro resident, Thomas recruited or appointed 33 agents for State Farm Insurance during his 28-year tenure with the company.

He was active in professional organizations throughout his career, including serving as executive director of the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisers Tennessee from 2004 to 2006.