Marshall University is excited to welcome home Jim Thornton, the voice of “Wheel of Fortune,” who will serve as grand marshal for the university’s 2025 Homecoming activities the week of Oct. 13 through Oct. 18.
“We are proud to recognize Jim Thornton as this year’s grand marshal,” said Walker Tatum, director of alumni engagement and co-chair of the Homecoming planning committee. “Jim’s passion and respect for Marshall speaks volumes. Though his career has taken him across the country and onto one of the biggest stages in television, he never lost sight of his Huntington roots or his deep connection to Marshall. We’re excited to celebrate his achievements throughout Homecoming week.”
Highlighting his role as grand marshal, Thornton will lead the Homecoming parade at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 17. The parade is set to make its way down Fourth Avenue in Huntington before ending on Harless Field for the annual bonfire. The parade is part of a full week of activities for this year’s Homecoming, “Wheel of Thunder,” a nod to Thornton’s work on “Wheel of Fortune” and its spinoff series “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune.”
“I’m so honored to be this year’s grand marshal,” Thornton said. “I love Huntington, and I love Marshall; both are part of my DNA and my core being. I’m glad that I’m able to represent our town and score one for the home team with the work that I do.”
Thornton, a Huntington native, grew up in the city’s historic Southside neighborhood. A Huntington High School graduate, Thornton was drawn from an early age to the performing arts, attending the Marshall Artists Series at the Keith-Albee Theatre and singing at his church, Johnson Memorial United Methodist.
As a freshman at Marshall in 1983, Thornton found himself at WMUL-FM having long been captivated by the voices of his favorite disc jockeys on the local radio stations. He was hired by WOWK-TV after high school where he gained hands-on experience in broadcast news. Thornton’s early interests ultimately set him on the path to where he is today.
“When I’m there [at ‘Wheel’], I feel like I’m at Marshall putting on a play or a show of some kind — and it’s all attended by people from Huntington. I’m so lucky for that.”
Thornton relocated to Los Angeles at 19 years old to pursue a career in broadcasting and voice work. He was hired as a traffic reporter for KNX 1070 Newsradio in 1985, later becoming the afternoon drive news co-anchor in 2005. In 1989, he hosted a morning show on Magic 94.3 FM, and from 1995 to 1999 he was the booth announcer for KCOP-TV.
Thornton’s career took an exciting turn in 2004 when he voiced episodes of “The Price Is Right,” and in 2011, when he was hired as the announcer of the iconic game show “Wheel of Fortune.”
“If it had lasted one day, it would have fulfilled a lifelong dream for me.’ And now, that dream has become 14 years,” Thornton said.
Thornton begins his days before sunrise, arriving at Sony Pictures Studios early to prepare for contestant rehearsals and prize voiceovers. Each taping day, he records six episodes, energizes two studio audiences with his warm-up routines, and delivers the prize announcements that elicit excited reactions from the show’s contestants.
Beyond his work as an anchor and announcer, Thornton broke into voice acting, landing work in commercials and video games. Most notably, his voice was featured in the 2001 Pixar film, “Monsters Inc.” and “Let’s Pollute!,” which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film, Animated in 2011.
Though he has built a successful career far from home, Thornton expressed his appreciation for his upbringing in the Mountain State and all that it taught him.
“If you grew up as far away from Hollywood as I did, you never, or you shouldn’t, lose reverence for it,” Thornton said. “It’s always going to hold a fascination with me.”
With that same reverence, Thornton spoke about Southern Airways Flight 932. While he was too young to remember the tragedy that claimed the lives of Marshall’s football team, coaches and fans, he grew up alongside friends who lost relatives in the plane crash.
“You just innately feel a sense of protection about Marshall. It’s ours, and it galvanized the community,” Thornton said. “Every time something good happens for Marshall, everybody gets a bigger score for our team because of those 75 souls who died in November 1970.”
Inspired by that same connection to Marshall and its community, Thornton is now looking forward with joy as he returns home to lead this year’s Homecoming celebrations as grand marshal.
In addition to the Homecoming parade, Thornton will participate in other major events on and around campus leading up to the Homecoming football game against Texas State University on Saturday, Oct. 18. Other highlights of Homecoming week include the Unity Walk on Monday, Oct. 13, and the Marshall University Alumni Association and Marshall University Black Alumni’s tailgate, presented by Woodlands Retirement Community, on Oct. 18.