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Paul Thompson (football)
Encyclopedia
Paul Thompson is an American football
quarterback
who is currently a free agent
. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football
at Oklahoma
.
Thompson has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans
.
in Leander, Texas
and was a letterman in football, basketball
, and track
. In football, as a senior, he passed for 1,600 yards and rushed for 1,053 yards.
took over as the starter in 2005, Thompson asked to be moved to the wide receiver position.
and Nate Hybl
. He was scheduled to be redshirted
that season. During the second game of the year against Alabama
, starter Jason White hurt his knee, forcing Hybl to take his spot. More importantly for Thompson was the fact that he would not be redshirted in 2002. He would receive playing time in four games, but did not start, remaining the second string quarterback.
win, Hybl graduated, leaving White and Thompson the quarterback job. Jason White earned the top spot, once again leaving Thompson on the bench. White led the team, and ultimately ended up winning the Heisman Trophy. Paul played in 10 games in 2003.
gone, Paul would battle with Rhett Bomar for the starting spot. Thompson earned the starting role against TCU
in the first game of the season. Thompson was benched in the middle of the game in favor of Bomar. From then on, Bomar would take most of the snaps under center, leaving Thompson to a new position, wide receiver
.
and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn were dismissed from the football team. Thompson regained the duties of the starting quarterback for the Sooners. His first game as starter for the 2006 season was a 24-17 victory on September 2, 2006 against UAB
. Thompson threw for 227 yards with two interceptions and two touchdown passes, including a 69-yard pass to Adrian Peterson for a touchdown. It was soon after this performance that Thompson would be renamed Paul "Prime-Time" Thompson.
After going 3-2 in their first five games, he helped lead the Sooners to 8 straight wins, including the Big 12 Championship Game win over Nebraska in Kansas City
. This win propelled the Sooners to a BCS
berth in the Fiesta Bowl
on New Years Day. The Sooners lost this game in overtime in a very close game, in which Paul Thompson threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Paul then was later added into The Oklahoma Cowboy Hall of Fame.
. He was waived on July 24.
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...
who is currently 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....
. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
as an undrafted free agent in 2007. 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 Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners football
The Oklahoma Sooners football program is a college football team that represents the University of Oklahoma . The team is currently a member of the Big 12 Conference, which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
.
Thompson has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
.
Early years
Thompson attended Leander High SchoolLeander High School
Leander is a secondary school in Leander, Texas and part of the Leander Independent School District. It was established in 1899.The school has a freshmen enrollment of 600 students and is accredited by the Texas Education Agency...
in Leander, Texas
Leander, Texas
Leander is a city in Williamson and Travis counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 7,596 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimates the population is now 25,424...
and was a letterman in football, basketball
Basketball
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 track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
. In football, as a senior, he passed for 1,600 yards and rushed for 1,053 yards.
College career
He was ranked as the #8 athlete in the country upon entering college. He had been courted by both the University of Texas and Oklahoma but chose to play for the Sooners because they would give him the opportunity to play quarterback. He turned down Texas due to the fact they wanted him to play as a wide receiver. Ironically, after former Oklahoma quarterback Rhett BomarRhett Bomar
Rhett Matthew Bomar is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
took over as the starter in 2005, Thompson asked to be moved to the wide receiver position.
2002 season
He arrived on campus in the fall of 2002 as a backup to both Jason WhiteJason White (American football)
Jason White is a former American football quarterback who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004, during which he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy...
and Nate Hybl
Nate Hybl
Nate Hybl is a former NFL quarterback. In the NFL, he was part of the Cleveland Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars, Mostly working on the practice squads. During his time with the Browns, he was allocated for development in NFL Europe...
. He was scheduled to be redshirted
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...
that season. During the second game of the year against Alabama
University of Alabama athletics
The University of Alabama features 19 varsity sports teams. Both the male and female athletic teams are called the Crimson Tide. They participate in the NCAA's Division I as a member of the Southeastern Conference Western Division. In 2002, Sports Illustrated named Alabama the #26 best collegiate...
, starter Jason White hurt his knee, forcing Hybl to take his spot. More importantly for Thompson was the fact that he would not be redshirted in 2002. He would receive playing time in four games, but did not start, remaining the second string quarterback.
2003 season
After the Sooner Rose BowlRose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
win, Hybl graduated, leaving White and Thompson the quarterback job. Jason White earned the top spot, once again leaving Thompson on the bench. White led the team, and ultimately ended up winning the Heisman Trophy. Paul played in 10 games in 2003.
2004 season
Thompson expected to have the job all to himself in 2004, but special circumstances allowed Jason White to play another year. White led the team to an undefeated regular season. Thompson was redshirted for the season.2005 season
With Jason WhiteJason White (American football)
Jason White is a former American football quarterback who played for the University of Oklahoma from 1999 to 2004, during which he won the 2003 Heisman Trophy...
gone, Paul would battle with Rhett Bomar for the starting spot. Thompson earned the starting role against TCU
Texas Christian University
Texas Christian University is a private, coeducational university located in Fort Worth, Texas, United States and founded in 1873. TCU is affiliated with, but not governed by, the Disciples of Christ...
in the first game of the season. Thompson was benched in the middle of the game in favor of Bomar. From then on, Bomar would take most of the snaps under center, leaving Thompson to a new position, wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
.
2006 season
In his last collegiate season, chances for Thompson to start at quarterback or wide receiver looked unlikely. On August 2, 2006 Rhett BomarRhett Bomar
Rhett Matthew Bomar is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft...
and offensive lineman J.D. Quinn were dismissed from the football team. Thompson regained the duties of the starting quarterback for the Sooners. His first game as starter for the 2006 season was a 24-17 victory on September 2, 2006 against UAB
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
. Thompson threw for 227 yards with two interceptions and two touchdown passes, including a 69-yard pass to Adrian Peterson for a touchdown. It was soon after this performance that Thompson would be renamed Paul "Prime-Time" Thompson.
After going 3-2 in their first five games, he helped lead the Sooners to 8 straight wins, including the Big 12 Championship Game win over Nebraska in Kansas City
Arrowhead Stadium
Arrowhead Stadium is a stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri and home to the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs....
. This win propelled the Sooners to a BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
berth in the Fiesta Bowl
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil...
on New Years Day. The Sooners lost this game in overtime in a very close game, in which Paul Thompson threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. Paul then was later added into The Oklahoma Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Tennessee Titans
On January 9, 2008, Thompson signed with the Tennessee TitansTennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
. He was waived on July 24.