Kevin Thompson (American football)
Encyclopedia
Kevin James Thompson is a former professional American football
quarterback
. He has played in the National Football League
, NFL Europe
, and the Arena Football League. He was a two-year starter at Penn State University. He signed as a free agent
with the Cleveland Browns
following the 2000 NFL draft
and played there for one season.
and football at Damascus High School
in Damascus, Maryland
. He recorded more than 4,000 passing yards during his career there and helped lead the football team to two Maryland state football championships
in 1993 and 1994.
s as a junior in 1998 and led the Nittany Lions to a win over Kentucky
in the Outback Bowl
, in which he threw for 187 yards and a touchdown. As a senior, Thompson was a team captain
and threw 13 touchdown passes and averaged 159.7 passing yards-per-game. He did not play in the Nittany Lions' 24-0 shutout
of Texas A&M
in the 1999 Alamo Bowl
due to a shoulder
injury sustained earlier in the week.
. Later he signed with the Cleveland Browns
. Following training camp, he earned a roster spot as a backup to quarterback Tim Couch
. He played in the Browns' Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
, but a December 2000 ankle
injury ended his season, and he was placed on Injured Reserve
.
The following spring the Browns allocated Thompson to NFL Europe, where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
. He returned to the team for the 2001 training camp, but a knee
injury sustained during camp required arthroscopic surgery forced him to spend the season on injured reserve. On December 18, 2001 he was signed to Cincinnati Bengals
' practice squad for the last three weeks of the regular season
.
In January 2003, Thompson had rejoined with Browns and listed as the Brown's third quarterback for the AFC Wild-Card game due to an injury to Couch. When he was not given a tender offer by the Browns the following spring, he a signed one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings
on March 31, only to be released during training camp.
Thompson spent the 2004 preseason with the New York Giants
, and in February 2005 signed with the Buffalo Bills
who then allocated him to the Cologne Centurions
of NFL Europe. In his April 2, 2005 debut with the Centurions, he was 16-of-25 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Hamburg Sea Devils
. He would finish the season with 1,561 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. He then returned to the Bills for their 2005 training camp, but was waived on September 3.
of the Arena Football League on March 2, 2006, and spent two seasons with the team.
in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science
in Kinesiology
.
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...
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...
. He has played in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, NFL Europe
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
, and the Arena Football League. He was a two-year starter at Penn State University. He signed as a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
following the 2000 NFL draft
2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
and played there for one season.
High school career
Thompson played basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and football at Damascus High School
Damascus High School
Damascus High School is a high school located at 25921 Ridge Road in Damascus, an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland.The school principal is Mr. Robert Domergue and assistant principals are Ms. Karen Rose, Dr. Andrei Ghelman, and Dr. Gregory Pleasant.Its feeder schools are John T...
in Damascus, Maryland
Damascus, Maryland
Damascus is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States.In the early part of the 20th century, there was an incorporated municipality there for about a quarter century, but it no longer exists...
. He recorded more than 4,000 passing yards during his career there and helped lead the football team to two Maryland state football championships
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association
Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Associationor , is the association that oversees public high school sporting contests in the state of Maryland. Organized in 1946, MPSSAA is made up of public high schools from each of Maryland's 23 counties and Baltimore City...
in 1993 and 1994.
College career
Thompson was a two-year starter at Penn State, he passed for six touchdownTouchdown
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 as a junior in 1998 and led the Nittany Lions to a win over Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats football
The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...
in the Outback Bowl
1999 Outback Bowl
The 1999 edition to the Outback Bowl featured the Kentucky Wildcats, and the Penn State Nittany Lions.Penn State entered the game with an 8-3 record and #22 ranking in the AP poll; the Nittany Lions had been ranked as high as #7 in the AP poll that season. Kentucky entered the game at 7-4,...
, in which he threw for 187 yards and a touchdown. As a senior, Thompson was a team captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
and threw 13 touchdown passes and averaged 159.7 passing yards-per-game. He did not play in the Nittany Lions' 24-0 shutout
Shutout
In team sports, a shutout refers to a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball....
of Texas A&M
Texas A&M Aggies football
The Texas A&M Aggies football team represents Texas A&M University in college football. The Aggies have competed in the Big 12 Conference since the conference's inception in 1996. They will join the Southeastern Conference in July 2012. Texas A&M football has earned one national title and 18...
in the 1999 Alamo Bowl
1999 Alamo Bowl
The 1999 edition to the Alamo Bowl featured the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the Texas A&M Aggies.Derrick Fox started the scoring for Penn State, with a 34 yard interception return for a touchdown, putting Penn State on top, 7–0...
due to a shoulder
Shoulder
The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle , the scapula , and the humerus as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder make up the shoulder joints. The major joint of the shoulder is the glenohumeral joint, which...
injury sustained earlier in the week.
National Football League
Thompson went unselected in the 2000 NFL Draft2000 NFL Draft
The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15–16, 2000...
. Later he signed with the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. Following training camp, he earned a roster spot as a backup to quarterback Tim Couch
Tim Couch
Timothy Scott "Tim" Couch is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Kentucky...
. He played in the Browns' Week 14 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but a December 2000 ankle
Ankle
The ankle joint is formed where the foot and the leg meet. The ankle, or talocrural joint, is a synovial hinge joint that connects the distal ends of the tibia and fibula in the lower limb with the proximal end of the talus bone in the foot...
injury ended his season, and he was placed on Injured Reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
The following spring the Browns allocated Thompson to NFL Europe, where he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy
Frankfurt Galaxy
The Frankfurt Galaxy was a professional American football team that originally played in the World League of American Football and later in the resurrected NFL Europe. The team was based in Frankfurt, Germany and played in the Commerzbank-Arena, formerly called the Waldstadion.-History:In 1991, the...
. He returned to the team for the 2001 training camp, but a knee
Knee
The knee joint joins the thigh with the leg and consists of two articulations: one between the fibula and tibia, and one between the femur and patella. It is the largest joint in the human body and is very complicated. The knee is a mobile trocho-ginglymus , which permits flexion and extension as...
injury sustained during camp required arthroscopic surgery forced him to spend the season on injured reserve. On December 18, 2001 he was signed to Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
' practice squad for the last three weeks of the regular season
2001 NFL season
The 2001 NFL season was the 82nd regular season of the National Football League.Following a pattern set in 1999, the first week of the season was permanently moved to the weekend following Labor Day...
.
In January 2003, Thompson had rejoined with Browns and listed as the Brown's third quarterback for the AFC Wild-Card game due to an injury to Couch. When he was not given a tender offer by the Browns the following spring, he a signed one-year contract with the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
on March 31, only to be released during training camp.
Thompson spent the 2004 preseason with the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and in February 2005 signed with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
who then allocated him to the Cologne Centurions
Cologne Centurions
The Cologne Centurions were an American football team that played in NFL Europe. The Centurions began competing in the league in the 2004 season, having replaced the defunct Barcelona Dragons. They played their home games at RheinEnergieStadion in Cologne....
of NFL Europe. In his April 2, 2005 debut with the Centurions, he was 16-of-25 passes for 197 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions against the Hamburg Sea Devils
Hamburg Sea Devils
The Hamburg Sea Devils were an American football team that began play in NFL Europa from 2005 to 2007. They played their home games at Hamburg's AOL Arena . They played their first game on April 2, 2005 losing 24-23 to the Cologne Centurions...
. He would finish the season with 1,561 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. He then returned to the Bills for their 2005 training camp, but was waived on September 3.
Arena Football League
Thompson signed with the Los Angeles AvengersLos Angeles Avengers
The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:...
of the Arena Football League on March 2, 2006, and spent two seasons with the team.
Personal
He graduated from Penn StatePennsylvania State University
The Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
in 1999 with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Kinesiology
Kinesiology
Kinesiology, also known as human kinetics is the scientific study of human movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, mechanical, and psychological mechanisms. Applications of kinesiology to human health include: biomechanics and orthopedics, rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational...
.