Jack Thompson (American football)

Last updated

Jack Thompson
Jack Thompson in 2019.jpg
Thompson in 2019, at Mike Leach's
Insurgent Warfare and Football Strategy class
No. 12, 14
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1956-05-19) May 19, 1956 (age 68)
Tutuila, American Samoa
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:217 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school: Evergreen (White Center, Washington)
College: Washington State
NFL draft: 1979  / round: 1 / pick: 3
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Pass attempts:845
Pass completions:449
Percentage:53.1
TD-INT:33-45
Passing yards:5,315
Passer rating:63.4
Player stats at PFR

Jack Thompson (born May 18, 1956), nicknamed "the Throwin' Samoan", is an American Samoan former professional American football quarterback. Thompson played in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons, four with the Cincinnati Bengals and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Washington State Cougars. He was selected in by the Bengals in the first round of the 1979 NFL draft with the third overall pick.

Contents

His nickname was bestowed on him by Spokesman-Review columnist Harry Missildine during Thompson's breakout sophomore season at Washington State in 1976. [1]

College career

As a collegian at Washington State University in Pullman, Thompson set numerous school, Pac-10 and NCAA records. In the second game of 1976, he took over on offense after senior starter John Hopkins was injured making a tackle in the second quarter at Minnesota. [2] In a 2002 story, Thompson explained why he chose to attend Washington State and how his first series against Minnesota in 1976 was almost his last until offensive coordinator Bob Leahy convinced head coach Jackie Sherrill to leave Thompson in the game. [3]

As a fifth-year senior in 1978, Thompson finished ninth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, [4] [5] and concluded his college career as the most prolific passer in NCAA history with 7,818 passing yards. [6] Thompson set Pac-10 records for attempts, completions, and TD passes. He was all-conference three times and either first-team, second-team, or honorable mention All-American three times.

Thompson is one of only two players in school history to have his number retired (with Pro Football Hall of Famer Mel Hein); he wore No. 14 and graduated from Evergreen High School in White Center, Washington, in 1974, south of Seattle.

College statistics

Legend
Pac-8/Pac-10 record
Led the Pac-8/Pac-10
NCAA Record
Led the NCAA
BoldCareer high
SeasonTeamGPCmpAttPctYdsTDIntRtg
1975 Washington State 11265448.135132113.7
1976 Washington State 1120835558.62,7622014134.7
1977 Washington State 1119232958.42,3721313124.1
1978 Washington State 1117534850.32,3331720111.2
Career 446011,08655.37,8185349122.9

NFL career

Thompson was the first quarterback selected in the 1979 NFL draft, taken third overall by the Cincinnati Bengals. [6] [7] At the time, the team had 30-year old Ken Anderson as their starter, who had just finished his seventh season as the starter for a team that went 4–8. Team president and founder Paul Brown felt the need to draft a successor to Anderson to help the team despite projections that saw the New York Giants pick him at the seventh spot. [8] Thompson was tabbed as the backup for Anderson, who started the first three weeks of the season. Thompson was put in mop-up duty for the second game before throwing twenty passes in the second game in a 20–14 loss to the New England Patriots; on the run in both games, he had a touchdown in each one. In week four against the Houston Oilers, he was tabbed to start. He went 11-of-21 for 181 yards with an interception while being sacked seven times and running for zero yards in a 30–27 loss. He did not start another game that year, but he did make appearances in five subsequent games in relief. In total, he threw for one touchdown and five interceptions while running for five touchdowns. [9] [10]

The following year saw Anthony Munoz drafted to provide support in the tackle position while Thompson and Anderson vied for playing time under new head coach Forrest Gregg. On opening day of 1980, Thompson was tabbed as the starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game did not go well, as he completed 6-of-21 for 47 yards with a touchdown and an interception in a miserable 17–12 loss. He was tabbed to come in for Anderson in the following two games, which included going 9-for-18 with 122 yards and two touchdowns that saw Cincinnati beat Pittsburgh 30–28. He was then tasked to start the following week against Houston and went 14-of-24 for 134 yards with a touchdown and an interception, but a last-minute drive to tie fell short in a 13–10 loss. He played sparingly for the next eleven weeks before being tabbed to start the final two games of the year against Chicago and Cleveland. In total, he threw for 1,324 yards while running for 84 that saw eleven touchdown passes to twelve interceptions while the Bengals as a whole won just six games. [11] [12]

1981 was a turning point, but not for Thompson. Anderson threw three interceptions in the first half of the opening game against the Seattle Seahawks, but Thompson had suffered a sprained ankle injury in the preseason, which meant that Gregg went to Turk Schonert in relief that saw a wild comeback win. As related by Thompson later, “I was in a quarterback meeting talking to Kenny and I remember him looking at me and saying, ‘I need to be the starter. He was resolved. I said, ‘Why don't you go talk to Forrest and be done with it?’ He did, then went into that New York game and had a great game and we were off and running. I got to witness his ‘Phoenix’ moment. I have nothing but respect for that.” With his job on the line, Anderson proceeded to have a standout season that saw them go all the way to Super Bowl season while Thompson threw just 49 passes in mopup duty. [13] His final pass as a Bengal was in the AFC Championship Game, dubbed as the "Freezer Bowl" due to the subzero temperatures that saw him come in and complete a 14-yard pass when Anderson was checked up for a time.

Thompson went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1983 and was the starter, but he was replaced in the following year by Steve DeBerg. [14]

In 2008, ESPN ranked Thompson no. 26 among the 50 worst NFL draft busts. [15]

NFL career statistics

Regular season

YearTeamGamesPassingRushingSackedFumbles
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ALngTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDSckYdsFumLost
1979 CIN 910–1398744.84815.5501542.4211165.551617831
1980 CIN 1441–311523449.11,3245.759111260.918844.711311353
1981 CIN 80214942.92675.4211250.3000.0076100
1982 CIN 10000.000.00000.0000.000000
1983 TB 14132–1124942358.92,9066.980182173.326271.0039289105
1984 TB 531–2255248.13376.5742542.45357.00105411
Total 51214–1744984553.15,3156.380334563.4702623.76856951910

Playoffs

YearTeamGamesPassingRushingSackedFumbles
GPGSRecordCmpAttPctYdsY/ALngTDIntRtgAttYdsAvgTDSckYdsFumLost
1981 CIN 2011100.01414.01400118.7000.000000
Total 2011100.01414.01400118.7000.000000

After football

After his football career, Thompson settled in Seattle and became a mortgage banker, as well as a volunteer quarterbacks coach at Ballard High School. His son Tony, a tight end, followed in his dad's footsteps in suiting up at Washington State, and a nephew, Tavita Pritchard, was a quarterback at Stanford University.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Majkowski</span> American football player (born 1964)

Donald "Majik" Vincent Majkowski is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, and Detroit Lions. He played college football for the Virginia Cavaliers.

Kenneth Allan Anderson is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL), spending his entire career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He later returned as a position coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carson Palmer</span> American football player (born 1979)

Carson Hilton Palmer is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons, primarily with the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the USC Trojans, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior in 2002.

Jeffrey Bertrand Blake is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. Blake was a member of seven teams during his career, playing his longest stint with the Cincinnati Bengals from 1994 to 1999. Prior to his five seasons in Cincinnati, he was selected in the sixth round of the 1992 NFL draft by the New York Jets, who he was a member of for two seasons. He spent the second half of his career playing for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2001 and one season each with the Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Philadelphia Eagles, and Chicago Bears.

Neil Kennedy O'Donnell is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 1990 NFL draft. During his six seasons with the Steelers, O'Donnell received Pro Bowl honors and helped lead them to a Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl XXX. After leaving Pittsburgh, he was a member of the New York Jets for two seasons and the Cincinnati Bengals for one. O'Donnell spent his last five seasons mostly as a backup with the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Campbell</span> American football player (born 1981)

Jason S. Campbell is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Auburn Tigers and was selected by the Washington Redskins in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. Campbell also played for the Oakland Raiders, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and Cincinnati Bengals. After his playing career, he became an analyst for Auburn Sports Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gus Frerotte</span> American football player (born 1971)

Gustave Joseph Frerotte is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Washington Redskins in the seventh round of the 1994 NFL draft. He played college football at Tulsa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Fitzpatrick</span> American football player (born 1982)

Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine teams, the most in league history. He is also the only NFL player to have a passing touchdown with eight different teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Anderson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1983)

Derek Matthew Anderson is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers. Anderson was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL draft. A 2007 Pro Bowler, he also played for the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and the Buffalo Bills.

John Melvin "Deep" Friesz is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for four teams. He played college football for the Idaho Vandals and was drafted in the 1990 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers, he later played for the Washington Redskins, the Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruce Gradkowski</span> American football player (born 1983)

Bruce Raymond Gradkowski is a former American football quarterback and current offensive coordinator for the St. Louis BattleHawks of the United Football League (UFL). He played college football at Toledo. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the sixth round of the 2006 NFL draft. Gradkowski was also a member of the St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Pittsburgh Steelers. His younger brother, Gino, is a former NFL center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Huard</span> American football player (born 1973)

Damon Paul Huard is a former American football quarterback. He is the director of community relations and fundraising for the University of Washington football program, his alma mater.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Schroeder</span> American football player (born 1961)

Jay Brian Schroeder is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, after which he was selected in the third round of the 1984 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, where he played for four seasons. He then played for the Los Angeles Raiders for five seasons and spent one season each with the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals.

Donald Wayne Hollas is a former American football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1990s. He played college football for Rice University and thereafter was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 1991 NFL draft. Hollas also played for the Oakland Raiders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Dalton</span> American football player (born 1987)

Andrew Gregory Dalton is an American professional football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Red Rifle", he played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs, where he became the school's leader in quarterback wins and won the 2011 Rose Bowl. He was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Flacco</span> American football player (born 1985)

Joseph Vincent Flacco is an American professional football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens, and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2008 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Hoyer</span> American football player (born 1985)

Axel Edward Brian Hoyer is an American professional football quarterback who has played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league history. Hoyer's longest stint has been with the New England Patriots for eight non-consecutive seasons, primarily as a backup, and he was a member of the team that won Super Bowl LIII. His most successful season was with the Houston Texans in 2015 when he helped lead them to a division title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyler Wilson (American football)</span> American football player (born 1989)

James Tyler Wilson is a former American football quarterback. Wilson is the all-time passing yards leader at the University of Arkansas. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He played college football at Arkansas. Wilson was also a member of the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Mannion (American football)</span> American football player (born 1992)

Sean Thomas Mannion is an American football coach and former quarterback who is an offensive assistant for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was their starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. He was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2015 NFL draft, and also played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Finley (American football)</span> American football player (born 1994)

Ryan Finley is an American former professional football quarterback who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boise State and NC State and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL draft.

References

  1. Hanson, Scott (November 19, 2018). "Jack Thompson, before becoming a Washington State football legend, wanted to be a Husky". The Seattle Times . Retrieved February 22, 2021. I knew the guy who tagged me with it, Harry Missildine (of the Spokesman-Review), and I didn't think anything of it. It was pretty true. I am Samoan and I threw the ball. In these politically correct days, people might have a problem with it, but that's their problem, not mine. I am proud of it, and my dad, frankly, loved it.
  2. Missildine, Harry (September 19, 1976). "Gophers whips Cougs". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. D1.
  3. Witter, Greg (June 10, 2002). "Destiny: How legendary Jack Thompson landed and stayed at WSU". 247sports.com. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  4. "Oklahoma's Sims Heisman winner". Lodi News-Sentinel. (California). UPI. November 29, 1978. p. 18.
  5. Word, Ron (November 29, 1978). "Billy Sims". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. p. 49.
  6. 1 2 "Ohio State linebacker goes to beef up Buffalo". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. May 4, 1979. p. 49.
  7. Bergum, Steve (May 4, 1979). "Cincinnati denies rumors; Thompson isn't trade bait". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 49.
  8. "'It was electric': Former WSU quarterback Jack Thompson recalls Cincinnati Bengals' 1982 Super Bowl run | the Spokesman-Review".
  9. "Houston Oilers at Cincinnati Bengals - September 23rd, 1979". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
  10. "Jack Thompson 1979 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  11. "Jack Thompson 1980 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  12. "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals - September 21st, 1980". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  13. Kirkendall, Josh (April 27, 2015). "No. 4 Bengals draft bust of all-time". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  14. "Thompson hopes to come out of 'retirement'". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). October 7, 1984. p. 3C via Google News.
  15. "Warrick, Klingler fell way short in Cincy". ESPN. April 16, 2008. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved September 19, 2020.