Thom Gossom ’75

Thom Gossom ‘75 is an actor, writer, speaker and communications consultant who helped desegregate Auburn football and later became Auburn University’s first African-American athlete to graduate. Gossom played wide receiver for the Auburn Tigers (1972-74) and earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication.

Following graduation, he began a lengthy acting career in film and television, appearing in movies like Fight Club, Jeepers Creepers 2 and Miss Ever’s Boys and television shows like The Quad, Love Is…, CSI, Boston Legal and In the Heat Of The Night. He is also featured in the HBO special, Breaking the Huddle, about the integration of Southern College Football. In 2008, he published his memoir, Walk-On: My Reluctant Journey to Integration at Auburn University and Slice Of Life, a collection of short stories in 2015.

Gossom and his wife, joyce, are owners of Best Gurl, inc. a unique multi-platform company committed to all forms of effective communication.  Gossom has served as the chair of the Auburn University Foundation Board and currently serves as a director on the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation. He is a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.