Jess E. Thompson (August 14, 1907 – January 26, 1975) was an American gridiron football, and basketball coach. He served three stints as the head football coach at Cameron University in Lawton, Oklahoma—1939 to 1941, in 1946, and 1951 to 1954—and at Centenary College of Louisiana in 1947. Thompson was also the head basketball coach at Mississippi Southern College—now known as the University of Southern Mississippi—from 1948 to 1949. He was assistant coach for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for four seasons and also served as a scout for the Houston Oilers and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).