.gif)
Charles Thompson (football)
Encyclopedia
Charles Thompson is an American
business
man, motivational speaker
, and former football
player, best known for his tenure and spectacular downfall as the quarterback
of the Oklahoma Sooners
.
, Thompson proved to be a highly skilled athlete and was recruited by the University of Oklahoma
, a premier NCAA
Division I-A college football
program, under head coach
Barry Switzer
. He was also drafted by Major League Baseball
's Cincinnati Reds
in the 34th round as a second baseman
; however, he decided to focus on football. As a redshirt
freshman, Thompson became the starting
quarterback of the nationally ranked Sooners for the 1987 season
. The highlight came on November 21, 1987, when Thompson led the offense of then #2-ranked Sooners to a dominating victory over the #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers
in a game that was heavily hyped as the Game of the Century II
. Thompson subsequently appeared on the cover of the November 30 issue of Sports Illustrated
as the Sooners took the #1 spot in the polls. While the Sooners would drop their final game of the season in the 1988 Orange Bowl and finish 11-1, Thompson's status as a nationally famous collegiate athlete was confirmed.
During the 1988 season
, Thompson, now a redshirt sophomore, led the Sooners to a 9-3 record but did not play due to a leg injury in the 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl. Thompson was a successful quarterback, named to the All-Big Eight Conference
- 1st team. Off the field he was a celebrity, volunteering to speak to at-risk youth about how to succeed in the face of adversity and, ironically, the danger of illegal drugs.
videotaped Thompson selling 17 grams of cocaine
for $
1,400 to an undercover agent. On February 13, Thompson was arrested in Norman, Oklahoma
and charged with dealing cocaine. He was released to his mother's custody on February 15, to await trial as Thompson waived his right to a preliminary hearing
. In the meantime, the Sooners suspended him from the team.
A media frenzy followed the arrest, peaking when a notorious picture of the handcuffed Thompson in a prison jumpsuit appeared on the cover of the February 27, 1989 issue of Sports Illustrated, accompanied by accusations that the Switzer-led Sooners were out of control. Switzer's Sooners had already been under heavy public and media scrutiny before the incident as players had been arrested, in separate incidents, for assault with a deadly weapon and rape
. With the national coverage brought by his star quarterback's arrest, Switzer resigned as head coach
soon afterwards after leading the team for sixteen seasons.
in Oklahoma City
, Thompson pled guilty, saying he knew he had done wrong and would take his punishment. The plea waived his rights to a jury trial
and grand jury
consideration of his case. He was convicted on April 26 of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced on August 31 to two years in prison. He entered a federal prison
in Big Spring, Texas
on September 20, 1989.
While in prison, Thompson spoke out on the pressure and vices that can befall big-time college football. He was interviewed for ESPN
by Chris Fowler
, and, with Allan Sonnenschein, wrote the 1990 book Down and Dirty: The Life and Crimes of Oklahoma Football (ISBN 0-88184-623-6).
, a historically black university
located in Wilberforce, Ohio
. He joined Central State's then-NAIA
football team primarily as a running back
, and helped them win the 1992 NAIA Division I Championship
. As a 24-year-old junior, Thompson carried 200 times for 1,018 yards and five touchdown
s and caught 29 passes for 439 yards and 7 touchdowns. He decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 1993 NFL Draft
; but his past proved to be too great a risk for NFL teams, and he went undrafted and never played in the NFL.
and married. He found success as a motivational speaker
, and his turnaround was featured in a Sports Illustrated "Where are they now?" feature. He currently lives with his wife and three children in Oklahoma City. His son Kendall, is now a true freshman QB for the University of Oklahoma.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
man, motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, and former football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player, best known for his tenure and spectacular downfall as the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
of the Oklahoma Sooners
Oklahoma Sooners
The University of Oklahoma features 19 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's teams are called the Sooners, a nickname given to the early participants in the land rushes which initially opened the Oklahoma Indian Territory to non-native settlement. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A,...
.
Rise with the Sooners
Raised in Lawton, OklahomaLawton, Oklahoma
The city of Lawton is the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Located in the southwestern region of Oklahoma approximately southwest of Oklahoma City, it is the principal city of the Lawton Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, Thompson proved to be a highly skilled athlete and was recruited by the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, a premier NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I-A college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
program, under head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer
Barry Switzer is a former football coach, active in the college and professional ranks between 1962 and 1997. He has one of the highest winning percentages of any college football coach in history, and is one of only two head coaches to win both a college football national championship and a...
. He was also drafted by Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
's Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
in the 34th round as a second baseman
Second baseman
Second base, or 2B, is the second of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a base runner in order to score a run for that player's team. A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base...
; however, he decided to focus on football. As a redshirt
Redshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
freshman, Thompson became the starting
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback of the nationally ranked Sooners for the 1987 season
1987 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1987 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Miami winning its second national championship during the 80s in an Orange Bowl match-up featuring a rare #1 vs...
. The highlight came on November 21, 1987, when Thompson led the offense of then #2-ranked Sooners to a dominating victory over the #1 Nebraska Cornhuskers
Nebraska Cornhuskers
The Nebraska Cornhuskers is the name given to several sports teams of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference...
in a game that was heavily hyped as the Game of the Century II
Game of the Century (college football)
The phrase "Game of the Century" is a superlative that has been applied to several college football contests played in the 20th century, the first full century of college football in the United States...
. Thompson subsequently appeared on the cover of the November 30 issue of Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
as the Sooners took the #1 spot in the polls. While the Sooners would drop their final game of the season in the 1988 Orange Bowl and finish 11-1, Thompson's status as a nationally famous collegiate athlete was confirmed.
During the 1988 season
1988 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34-21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona....
, Thompson, now a redshirt sophomore, led the Sooners to a 9-3 record but did not play due to a leg injury in the 1989 Florida Citrus Bowl. Thompson was a successful quarterback, named to the All-Big Eight Conference
Big Eight Conference
The Big Eight Conference, a former NCAA-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football, was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association by its charter member schools: the University of Kansas, University of Missouri, University...
- 1st team. Off the field he was a celebrity, volunteering to speak to at-risk youth about how to succeed in the face of adversity and, ironically, the danger of illegal drugs.
Arrest
On January 26, 1989, the FBIFederal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
videotaped Thompson selling 17 grams of cocaine
Cocaine
Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
for $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1,400 to an undercover agent. On February 13, Thompson was arrested in Norman, Oklahoma
Norman, Oklahoma
Norman is a city in Cleveland County, Oklahoma, United States, and is located south of downtown Oklahoma City. It is part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, Norman was to have 110,925 full-time residents, making it the third-largest city in Oklahoma and the...
and charged with dealing cocaine. He was released to his mother's custody on February 15, to await trial as Thompson waived his right to a preliminary hearing
Preliminary hearing
Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial...
. In the meantime, the Sooners suspended him from the team.
Aftermath
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
. With the national coverage brought by his star quarterback's arrest, Switzer resigned as head coach
Head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches...
soon afterwards after leading the team for sixteen seasons.
Trial and prison
At his trial at a federal courtUnited States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma
The United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma is a Federal district court....
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City is the capital and the largest city in the state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, the city ranks 31st among United States cities in population. The city's population, from the 2010 census, was 579,999, with a metro-area population of 1,252,987 . In 2010, the Oklahoma...
, Thompson pled guilty, saying he knew he had done wrong and would take his punishment. The plea waived his rights to a jury trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
and grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
consideration of his case. He was convicted on April 26 of one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine and sentenced on August 31 to two years in prison. He entered a federal prison
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
in Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring, Texas
Big Spring is a city in and the county seat of Howard County, Texas, United States, at the crossroads of U.S. Highway 87 and Interstate 20. With a population of 25,233 at the 2000 census, it is the largest city between Midland to the west, Abilene to the east, Lubbock to the north, and San Angelo...
on September 20, 1989.
While in prison, Thompson spoke out on the pressure and vices that can befall big-time college football. He was interviewed for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
by Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler
Chris Fowler is a sports broadcaster for ESPN known best for his work on College GameDay for college football. Since 1989, Fowler has been the primary studio host for college football. Until 2006, he was also the lead studio host for men's college basketball on ESPN...
, and, with Allan Sonnenschein, wrote the 1990 book Down and Dirty: The Life and Crimes of Oklahoma Football (ISBN 0-88184-623-6).
Return to football
Although his sentence carried a maximum term of 27 months and a minimum term of 21, he was released after 17 months and transferred to Central State UniversityCentral State University
Central State University, commonly referred to as "C-State", is a historically black university located in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is the only public HBCU in Ohio.-History:...
, a historically black university
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
located in Wilberforce, Ohio
Wilberforce, Ohio
Wilberforce is a census-designated place in Greene County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,579 at the 2000 census. The community was named for the English statesman William Wilberforce, who worked for abolition of slavery and achieved the end of the slave trade in the United Kingdom and...
. He joined Central State's then-NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
football team primarily as a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, and helped them win the 1992 NAIA Division I Championship
NAIA national football championship
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Football National Championship is decided by a post-season playoff system featuring the best NAIA college football teams in the United States. Under sponsorship of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the championship game has...
. As a 24-year-old junior, Thompson carried 200 times for 1,018 yards and five touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
s and caught 29 passes for 439 yards and 7 touchdowns. He decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 1993 NFL Draft
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
; but his past proved to be too great a risk for NFL teams, and he went undrafted and never played in the NFL.
Post-football
With his football career over, Thompson completed his degree, reaffirmed his ChristianityChristianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and married. He found success as a motivational speaker
Motivational speaker
A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...
, and his turnaround was featured in a Sports Illustrated "Where are they now?" feature. He currently lives with his wife and three children in Oklahoma City. His son Kendall, is now a true freshman QB for the University of Oklahoma.
Trivia
- Thompson's appearances on the covers of Sports Illustrated are considered a prime example of the Sports Illustrated cover jinxSports Illustrated Cover JinxThe Sports Illustrated Cover Jinx is an urban legend that states that individuals or teams who appear on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine will subsequently be jinxed...
.