Donnell Thompson (born October 27, 1958) is a former

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played for the Indy. Colts in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Thompson graduated from the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sy ...

. His parents are Berthel and Douglas Thompson. After leaving the NFL, Thompson became a franchisee for

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. He purchased his own franchise in 1998 and has since opened franchises for

Choice Hotels International Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in Rockville, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. As o ...

Zaxby's Zaxby's is an American chain of fast casual restaurants offering chicken wings, chicken fingers, sandwiches, and salads. The chain operates primarily in the Southern United States and has more than 900 locations. Most Zaxby's restaurants are owned ...

Denny's Denny's (also known as Denny's Diner on some of the locations' signage) is an American table service diner-style restaurant chain. It operates over 1,700 restaurants in many countries. Description Originally opened as a Diner, coffee shop un ...

and Checkers Drive-In, sometimes in partnership with his former roommate

Ron Wooten Ronald John Wooten (born June 29, 1959) is an American former professional American football playerwho was a guard for seven seasons with the New England Patriots in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North ...

References

1958 births Living people People from Lumberton, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina American football defensive ends North Carolina Tar Heels football players Baltimore Colts players Indianapolis Colts players {{defensive-lineman-1950s-stub