The Torrington Sports Complex will become the Art Thompson Sports Complex this summer, a culmination of efforts by community members to honor Thompson's dedication to local youth sports.
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TORRINGTON – The Torrington Sports Complex will officially become the Art Thompson Sports Complex at a dedication ceremony during the Little League district tournament on July 17-20.
Art Thompson founded Torrington’s Little League program in the 1960s. Community members organizing the dedication are in the process of creating a memorial plaque to Thompson for display at the sports complex. An account has been established at First State Bank in Torrington for donations to cover the cost of the plaque.
Thompson raised his family in Torrington after moving to Goshen County from Fort Collins, Colorado, in 1963. Thompson and business partner Lee Phillips founded the Ten Pin Tropics bowling alley in Torrington.
In 1965, Thompson and several fathers in Goshen County organized the community’s first youth baseball program and assembled two fields in an empty lot east of where Torrington Middle School is located today.
The youth baseball league played on the rough fields for two years. The City of Torrington received a grant and a donation of land from John R. Jirdon to build the Jirdon Little League Fields in 1968.
In 1967, the baseball league received a charter as an official Little League program with majors and minors teams. The first season in 1967 included 160 local boys.
Thompson and Gene Koza coached the first Little League all-star team in Torrington and went on to finish second at the state tournament in 1967. A year later, Thompson and Don Donovan guided the Torrington Little League all-stars team to its first state title. The team went on to win the sectional tournament title in Elko, Nevada, defeating defending state championship teams from Colorado, Utah and Nevada before advancing to the Little League regional tournament in New Mexico.
Thompson was passionate about youth sports and taught young athletes to excel in baseball, golf and bowling.
Thompson was an avid golfer and he played a significant role in planning, designing and constructing Torrington’s municipal course. He planted many of the trees on the back nine.
Thompson was born in Fort Collins on January 19, 1932 and he graduated from Fort Collins High School before serving in the United States Navy in the Korean War.
Thompson passed away on February 27, 2025.
