Since Hunter S. Thompson's career seems to bracket Mr. Gonso's fame as a collegiate sports hero I would guess that the latter's name lent itself to being used in this context if the term was used in reference to the former. Just a guess, but it seems less likely to have gone the other way. I've been wrong before. I would say we should be looking for a citation before 1967 to settle the question. Merriam-Webster On Line claims 1971. What about the OnLine OED, O great keeper of the keys?