Hugh Thomas was an Australian rules football

Australian rules football

Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...

 coach who coached St Kilda in the Victorian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

 (VFL).

Thomas served initially as an assistant coach to Jock McHale

Jock McHale

James Francis "Jock" McHale, was an Australian rules football player and coach for the Collingwood Football Club in the Victorian Football League in a marathon career that extended from 1903 to 1949....

 at Collingwood, in what was a successful era for the club. He became St Kilda's senior coach in 1944 and steered them to ninth position, with six wins and two draws during the year. After they struggled in 1945, Thomas was replaced by Allan Hird. In 1950, he coached VFA club Preston

Northern Bullants

Northern Blues Football Club is a long-established Australian rules football club based in Preston and currently playing in the Victorian Football League representing the central and outer areas of Melbourne...

for the year.

His brother Artie was a rover at St Kilda from 1910 to 1913.