Former Indiana running back Ernie Thompson has been known more for his accomplishments on the football field than in the classroom. That is until recently.
At age 50, Thompson told himself, it's time to finish what he started and picked up his life to do exactly that, with a little help from his former coach Bill Mallory.
"I knew that [graduating] was out there and one of my last conversations with coach Bill Mallory, he challenged me. He said 'it has to be now or never' and then at age 50 I moved back to Bloomington and become a student," Thompson said on Indiana Sports Beat. "My brother Randy has a Masters in counseling so I relied on him a lot.
"I got on the bus every day with students and they were so kind. It was refreshing and I fed off of their energy." Thompson added.
So, how'd Thompson get to where he is today? It started all of the way back in elementary school with his two brothers. One being former IU and college football great Anthony Thompson, their other brother, and Randy, who may be the one to thank for all of their success.
"Our uncles, they got us in to playing sports and when we were young boys we were playing with them and some of our friends. We grew up playing football," Thompson said. "It may have been 1985 or 1984... all three of us scored multiple touchdowns and all of us were over 100 yards. We saw what could have been.
"Randy decided in high school to transfer to give us a better shot at reaching our dreams," Thompson added. "He is just a class act. I wish more people knew more about my brother Randy."
Following his second season at IU, Ernie Thompson left Bloomington for the NFL after getting drafted by the L.A. Rams, a dream come true for the Terre Haute native.
"That was one of my teams too. I remember I was sitting in my home. I was waiting on the call... Georgia Frontiere, she at the time was the owner. She said 'how would you feel for working for a women' and I said 'Mrs Frontiere, I would love nothing more than working for you' and then she said 'congratulations Mr Thompson, you are now a Los Angeles Ram'," Thompson said. "At that moment to realize my dream had come true, I kind of say that is like me obtaining my degree. Those two feelings were like nothing I have ever experienced."
Though football is what Thompson is known for, it's not how he wants to be known, especially for kids. Now with his hard work in school paying off, he feels even better trying to impact the lives of children everyday.
"There is nothing more pleasing to me than to help a child," Thompson said. "I dedicate my life to helping kids... I try to everyday speak something positive to the life of a child. Now it just means even more [with my degree]."
Overall, Thompson has one message for people still chasing their dream; don't give up on it and realize it's always achievable.
"It's just a confidence builder knowing I graduated from such a prestigious university and have people look at me and realize there are dreams out there that they once had," Thompson said. "Look at me and say 'hey look at this guy at the age of 50' and realize it's out there."
To listen to the rest of the interview in its entirety, click on the tweet below.
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