Gregg Thompson (born August 4, 1960) is an American former
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
player. He played as a
defender who was the 1983
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
Rookie of the Year. He was also voted team MVP (by his teammates) and the most Popular Player (by the fans) during his rookie year while playing for the Tampa Bay Rowdies. He spent two seasons in the NASL and four in the
Major Indoor Soccer League. He was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1984 to 1986 and participated in the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
. Thompson earned twelve
caps
Caps are flat headgear.
Caps or CAPS may also refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters
* Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...
with the
United States national team
The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions.
Olympic teams
Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...
.
High school and college
Thompson spent his early youth in California before moving to
Stillwater, Minnesota
Stillwater is a city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Washington County. It is in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area, on the west bank of the St. Croix River (Wisconsin-Minnesota), St. Croix River, across from H ...
when he was fourteen. He became a star athlete at
Stillwater High School. His high school did not have a soccer team when he moved to Minnesota, so Thompson played football and ran track while playing soccer with local youth clubs. He was an outstanding running back, averaging 8.9 yards per carry over his high school career while breaking over 40 football records at Stillwater High School. Thompson was fast running the 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds and strong benching over 350 lbs. (he weighed 165 pounds) He earned All State honors and received football athletic scholarship offers from the
University of Colorado
The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...
,
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
, the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...
, numerous Division II schools and all of the Ivy League programs.
His biggest claim to fame was his accomplishments during the state semi-final game against Columbia Heights. There was 30 seconds remaining on the clock, Stillwater was losing the game 14-13 and the ball was 37 yards away from the goalpost. Stillwater decided to attempt a field goal. Thompson was the field goal kicker as well. Thompson was successful in making the 37 yard field goal but there was a penalty on the play. The refs moved the ball back 5 yards. Thompson was again successful in kicking a 42-yard field goal to win the game. It was later found out that Thompson completely tore his ACL and meniscus on the fifth play of the game; nevertheless, his final game stats included throwing a touchdown pass, rushing for 125 yards and kicking the game-winning field goal.
Thompson also went to the state finals in track his senior year long jumping over 22' and triple jumping nearly 47'. (his first triple jump as a junior in high school was the fifth best ever recorded in the state at the time) While he was one of the best football players to come out of the state of Minnesota, he preferred soccer and chose to attend
Indiana University
Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana.
Campuses
Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI.
*Indiana Universit ...
when that school offered him an athletic scholarship to play soccer. Thompson was voted the Minnesota High School Athlete of the Year when he graduated from Stillwater in 1978.
Thompson joined the Hoosiers in 1978. He did not play in 1979 because of a knee injury, but became a regular through the 1980–1982 seasons. In 1982, he captained Indiana as it ran to the
NCAA championship game. In that game, Indiana went up against
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
and its top defenseman
Joe Ulrich
Joe Ulrich is a retired U.S. soccer defender (football), defender. He won the 1982 Hermann Trophy as that year's top collegiate soccer player. He also played three seasons in the Major Soccer League, Major Indoor Soccer League.
Youth and colleg ...
. Thompson scored the first goal, but Duke replied and the game ended tied at one all. The game was in its eighth overtime when Ulrich fouled Thompson just outside the box. Thompson replied with a swerving free kick which found the net, giving Indiana its first national title. Thompson would come in second in the balloting for the
Hermann Trophy
The Hermann Trophy is awarded annually by the Missouri Athletic Club to the United States's top men's and women's college soccer players.
History
In 1967, Bob Hermann, the president of the National Professional Soccer League (NPSL) and the ...
that year, losing to Ulrich.
In 2007, Thompson was inducted into the Indiana University Hall of Fame. One of only seven soccer players to be inducted into the IU Hall of Fame.
Professional
The
Los Angeles Lazers
The Los Angeles Lazers were an indoor soccer team that played in the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) from 1982 to 1989.
History
Jerry Buss, the owner of California Sports, the parent company of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings and Strings of Tea ...
of
Major Indoor Soccer League selected Thompson with the number one selection in the 1983 MISL Draft.
Tampa Bay Rowdies
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...
of the
North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to:
*North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league
*North American Soccer League (2011–2017)
The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...
selected Thompson as the first pick in the 1983 NASL college draft. He elected to sign with the Rowdies and was named the 1983 NASL Rookie of the Year after playing thirty games. Following the 1984 NASL season, the league collapsed. After the collapse of the NASL, the Rowdies traded Thompson to the
Minnesota Strikers
The Minnesota Strikers were an American soccer team that competed in the North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 1984 season and in the Major Indoor Soccer League from 1984 through 1988. The team was based in Minneapolis/St. Paul metropoli ...
of
Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL). He remained with the Strikers through the 1987–1988 MISL season before retiring.
National and Olympic teams
At the end of the 1983 NASL season, Thompson joined the
U.S. Olympic team
United States of America (USA) has sent athletes to every celebration of the modern era Olympic Games, except for the 1980 Summer Olympics, during which it led a boycott to protest the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
American athletes have w ...
as it prepared for the
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the secon ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. Thompson played all three games for the U.S. at the Olympics, including scoring the U.S. goal in its 1–1 tie with Egypt in front of 85,000 people at Stanford Stadium. The U.S. finished the first round at 1–1–1 and failed to qualify for the second round.
Even before the Olympic games, Thompson had earned his first
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...
with the
U.S. national team in a May 20, 1984 scoreless tie with
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. He would go on to play a total of 12 times for the full national team between 1984 and 1985, including several qualification matches for the
1986 FIFA World Cup
The 1986 FIFA World Cup was the 13th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial football tournament for men's senior national teams. It was played in Mexico from 31 May to 29 June 1986. The tournament was the second to feature a 24-team format. Colombia ha ...
. His last national team game came in the May 31, 1985 debacle in Torrance, California when the U.S. lost to
Costa Rica
Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...
. That loss cost the U.S. a spot in the final round of qualifications.
USA – Details of International Matches 1980–1989
Post-playing career
Thompson is a partner in a real estate group located in Roseville, CA and coaches youth soccer. He has 4 children (3 boys & a girl) Ty (the oldest) started all four years at Stanford. During his senior year, captained Stanford to their first NCAA Division 1 Championship, Tanner played 4 years at Indiana University. He was All-American during his sophomore, junior and senior year, Tommy was signed as a homegrown player by the San Jose Earthquakes after his freshman year at Indiana University and is a starter for the Earthquakes, Tatum (daughter) is his favorite soccer player of all time.
References
External links
NASL/MISL stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Gregg
Living people
1961 births
Indiana Hoosiers men's soccer players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) players
North American Soccer League (1968–1984) indoor players
Tampa Bay Rowdies (1975–1993) players
Tampa Bay Rowdies draft picks
Major Indoor Soccer League (1978–1992) players
Minnesota Strikers (MISL) players
United States men's international soccer players
Olympic soccer players of the United States
Footballers at the 1984 Summer Olympics
American soccer coaches
Soccer players from San Jose, California
American soccer players
Association football defenders