Tyson Thompson
Encyclopedia
Tyson Calvin Thompson is a gridiron football
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...

 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...

 who is currently a member of the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...

. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played 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...

 at San Jose State
San José State Spartans Football
The San Jose State Spartans represent San Jose State University and the Silicon Valley in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Spartans play all home games in Spartan Stadium, which offers a seating capacity of over 30,000...

.

Early years

Thompson played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....

 at Irving High School (Texas)
DeSoto High School (DeSoto, Texas)
DeSoto High School is a public school in DeSoto, Texas, United States. It is part of the DeSoto Independent School District. It is located at 600 Eagle Drive - History :...

. As a senior, he rushed for 2,418 yards on 358 carries and was a semi-finalist for the 1999 Texas Class 5A Player of the Year award. He also rushed for 525 yards in a single game against L. D. Bell High School (Hurst, Texas)
L. D. Bell High School (Hurst, Texas)
Lawrence Dale Bell High School, more commonly known as L. D. Bell High School, is a public high school in the cities of Hurst and Bedford, Texas and part of the Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District. The school is named for Lawrence Dale Bell, the founder of nearby Bell Helicopter...

 in 1998, third most in Texas high school history and the most ever by a runner in UIL
University Interscholastic League
The University Interscholastic League is an organization that creates rules for and administers almost all athletic, music, and academic contests for public primary and secondary schools in the American state of Texas....

 Class AAAAA (which houses the state's largest schools).

College career

In two seasons at Garden City Community College
Garden City Community College
Garden City Community College is a fully accredited community college located in Garden City, Kansas, USA. GCCC has regional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools...

 in Garden City, Kansas
Garden City, Kansas
Garden City is a city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,658. The city is home to Garden City Community College and the Lee Richardson Zoo, the largest zoological park in western Kansas.-History:In February 1878, James...

, he saw limited playing time but still rushed for 1,063 yards on 159 carries and 12 touchdowns. In his final game at the junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...

 level, he rushed 25 times for 323 yards and three touchdowns against nationally-ranked Glendale Community College
Glendale Community College (Arizona)
Glendale Community College is a community college in Glendale, Arizona USA. GCC opened its doors in 1965. Since then more than 350,000 students have taken credit classes. Programs include associate degrees, certificate programs, industry-specific training and university transfer. The school...

. Thompson closed his collegiate career
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...

 at San Jose State University
San José State University
San Jose State University is a public university located in San Jose, California, United States...

, playing in all 11 games with eight starts
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...

 at running back while also seeing action as a kick returner
Kick returner
In American and Canadian football, a kick returner is the player on special teams who is primarily responsible to catch kickoffs and attempts to return them in the opposite direction. If the ball is kicked into his own endzone, he must assess the situation on the field while the ball is in the...

. His 811 rushing yards led the team and his five touchdowns were third best.

Dallas Cowboys

He left college after his junior season, but was not selected in the 2005 NFL Draft
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 23–24, 2005. The league also held an supplemental draft that year, which was held after...

 due to concerns about his lack of experience at the Division I level. His agent, who also represented Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...

 running backs coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...

 Anthony Lynn
Anthony Lynn
Anthony Ray Lynn is a former American football running back and current assistant coach for the New York Jets.-Playing career:...

, arranged a tryout where Thompson impressed the Cowboys with his speed. He was signed as a reserve running back and kick returner. Although he has been third on the running back depth chart (behind Julius Jones
Julius Jones
Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American football running back who played college football at the University of Notre Dame and is currently a member of the Free Agent Class of the National Football League. Before signing with the Saints on October 12, 2010, Julius had stints with the Dallas...

 and Marion Barber
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....

), he rushed 20 times for 75 yards and was named NFL Rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...

 of the Week in Week 5 of the 2005 season
2005 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2005 Dallas Cowboys season began with the team trying to improve on their 6–10 record in 2004. Despite a 7–3 start, the Cowboys ended the season with a 9–7 record and narrowly missed the playoffs.-Offseason:...

. He finished the 2005 season with team records for kickoff returns (57) and kickoff return yardage (1,399) while finishing ninth in the NFL with a 24.5 average. His 2006 season
2006 Dallas Cowboys season
The 2006 Dallas Cowboys season began with the team trying to improve on their 9–7 record in 2005. The base offense was changed to a 2-TE formation. Several high profile free agents were signed including controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens and kicker Mike Vanderjagt...

 was ended after breaking his left ankle in week 8.

On February 28, 2008, Thompson was not tendered a contract as a restricted free agent
Restricted free agent
A restricted free agent is a professional athlete who plays in the KHL, NFL, NHL, or NBA. Such players have special restrictions on the terms under which they can retain or change employment status with their athletic club teams.- NFL :...

, therefore becoming an unrestricted free agent.

Las Vegas Locomotives

Thompson signed with the Las Vegas Locomotives
Las Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...

 of the United Football League on August 6, 2009. He was released before the season began.

Tri-Cities Fever

On January 29, 2010, the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...

's Tri-Cities Fever
Tri-Cities Fever
The Tri-Cities Fever are a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. Their first season was in 2005 as an expansion member of the National Indoor Football League. Though they represent the entire Tri-Cities region, they play their home games exclusively at the Toyota Center...

announced they had signed Thompson for the 2010 season.
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