Thom Gossom Jr. is an actor whose credits include the “Fight Club” movie and “In the Heat of the Night” television series.
Gossom also owns the public relations and communication firm Best Gurl Entertainment. He has even written a trio of books of short stories, “A Slice of Life,” “Another Slice of Life” and “The Rest of the Pie,” along with the autobiographical “Walk-On: My Reluctant Journey to Integration at Auburn University.”
But there have been many actors, businessmen and authors.
Thom Gossom has one legacy that is and always will be his alone: He was the first black athlete to graduate from Auburn University.
Gossom is a Birmingham native who graduated from John Carroll Catholic High School and walked on as a wide receiver for the Tigers football team. He graduated from Auburn in 1975 with a bachelor’s in communications. He went on to earn a master’s degree in communications from the University of Montevallo.
This weekend, the 67-year-old Gossom will receive the Auburn University Lifetime Achievement Award. A ceremony is scheduled for March 2 at the Hotel at Auburn University Dixon Conference Center.
Alabama NewsCenter sat down with Gossom to reflect on the significance of his accomplishment decades ago and how it forever changed the landscape for black athletes on The Plains.
Thom Gossom Jr. reflects on his days playing football at Auburn and his legacy from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
(Courtesy of Alabama NewsCenter)
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