 Following his coaching stint, Thompson went on to become a highly decorated hero of World War I.Winning continued under coach Joseph Duff, including an 8–1 record in 1914 in which opponents were collectively outscored 207–38, and the university was well on the way to establishing itself as a regional, if not yet national, power.Duff would leave the Panthers after two seasons to serve in World War I, where he would be killed in combat in October 1918.