By Darin How does a player miss the first six weeks of practice and still become the greatest legend in school history? For Anthony Thompson, a deep thigh bruise was merely a speed bump on the road to immortality. In a program often overshadowed by basketball, Thompson turned Bloomington into a rushing powerhouse, forcing legendary coaches like Hayden Fry to admit he was the best they had seen in “years and years and years.” From his record-breaking freshman debut to his historic Heisman race as the nation’s leading scorer, Thompson’s relentless legs and dual-threat skill set earned him a permanent place in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Football Bio
April 8, 1967 – Terre Haute, Indiana – The tough Indiana Hoosier runner Anthony Thompson was born. You know that someone is an impressive player when a famous opposing coach has good things to say about them.
Iowa’s Head man, Hayden Fry, said, ”Anthony Thompson is by far the best running back we’ve seen in years and years and years.” The National Football Foundation shares that Thompson was the Hoosier’s leading rusher in just his freshman season after not getting a start until week 8!
Anthony missed the first six weeks of practice due to a deep thigh bruise and did not make his first start until the season’s eighth game. In that game, he set a Big Ten freshman rushing record with 207 yards! He kept those legs churning in his second season, too, as he eclipsed the 100-yard mark in five games to surpass 1,000 yards on the season. As a junior, he was selected as a consensus All-American and placed ninth in the Heisman voting. His rushing totals were third nationally, and he was the nation’s second leading scorer with 24 touchdowns.
Anthony also had the great skill set of catching the ball out of the backfield as a dual threat to defenses that opposed Indiana. As a senior, he narrowly missed winning the Heisman in one of the closest votes in the trophy’s history. However, he did win the Maxwell and Camp Awards, the two other major player-of-the-year trophies. Thompson led the nation in both rushing and scoring and was fourth in all-purpose yardage. At the end of his career, he held the all-time Division I record for touchdowns. IU now names its MVP award in his name. Anthony Thompson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007 after the National Football Foundation tallied its votes.
Conclusion
Anthony Thompson didn’t just play for Indiana; he carried the program on his back. His 1989 season remains one of the greatest individual campaigns in college football history, punctuated by a then-NCAA record 377 yards in a single game against Wisconsin. Though he finished as the Heisman runner-up to Andre Ware by a razor-thin margin, his collection of the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards cemented his status as the premier player in the country. Today, his legacy lives on every time the Hoosiers name their team MVP, honoring the man who proved that with enough grit, a “tough runner” from Terre Haute could outwork the entire nation.
Accolades and Football Accomplishments
- College Football Hall of Fame: Inducted in 2007.
- Maxwell Award Winner: 1989 (Player of the Year).
- Walter Camp Award Winner: 1989 (Player of the Year).
- Heisman Trophy Runner-Up: 1989 (One of the closest votes in history).
- 2× Big Ten Player of the Year: 1988, 1989.
- Consensus First-Team All-American: 1988, 1989.
- NCAA Career Touchdown Record: Held the Division I record with 65 rushing TDs at the end of his career.
- NCAA Single-Game Rushing Record: Set a then-record with 377 yards vs. Wisconsin (1989).
- Big Ten Freshman Record: 207 yards in his first career start (1986).
- Retired Number: His #32 is the only football jersey retired by Indiana University.
- NFL Career: Second-round pick in 1990; played four seasons with the Phoenix Cardinals and LA Rams.
