Behind the Facemask: David Thompson
July 14, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla.–No dream comes true without sacrifice and these young men have worked to make their dream of playing at the U come true. Here are the men behind the sacrifice…
David Thompson | Running Back | Sophomore | Miami, Fla.
Playing football has given me an opportunity that many don’t get to experience. Something about being in the locker room, being on the field, the camaraderie with the guys, it’s something you can’t get anywhere else. It’s something you can only really understand when you’re playing it. The things that we do in the locker room, the things that we say to each other, things we do on the field, it changes when you get outside.
One thing everybody should know about Miami football is it’s tough, but we work hard. It sounds cliché, it really does, but it’s been a challenge. I believe that no one else is doing what we do.
In college, football is more mandatory and more serious. If you miss anything, there are serious consequences for it, as opposed to high school, where when you miss you can come up with some excuse and be okay. We’ve all had days where we’re like, “Man, screw this, I want to quit, I want to go home.” It’s like a job, it really is. I’m the kind of person where as soon as I commit to something, it’s hard for me to quit, unless I have to. I think the rest of the guys have the same mentality as well, which is why I think we’re all still here.
I played a lot of sports when I was younger. I played basketball all my life. After my freshman year of high school, I decided I wasn’t going to be tall enough to keep playing. My coaches at every school I went to would tell me to come out and play different sports. Wrestling, tennis, everything. When I got to high school, the coaches told me I should come out and play football, and I thought, why not? It was so much more time-consuming than the other sports. I started playing, developed a love for it, and I’ve been playing ever since. I remember telling my dad when I was younger that I would never play football.
When I first started, I played fullback and running back. I got the ball most of the time. I was one of the bigger guys at my school. They had me playing offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, I was all over the place.
I love playing running back. I’m not a big fan of defense. I’ve done it, and I’ll do it, but there’s something about offense that I just love more. Maybe it’s getting the ball or being able to score, but I love offense more. I can’t throw, I’m not big enough to play on the line, I’m not fast enough to play receiver, so running back’s been fun.
People might be surprised to know that my major is biology.
I’m afraid of failure. Disappointing everyone and disappointing myself.
The best advice I can give, from a friend of mine named Randy, he would always tell me, “why not you?” We’d see guys play in the NFL, doing what they dreamed of doing, and he would say, “they’re doing it, someone’s gotta do it, so why not you?”
I never thought I’d be getting this interview right now (laughs). I never thought I would be playing for UM. Growing up, for some reason, I always wanted to get away. My mom made me apply here, but I filled out the application halfway and kind of tossed it aside. I wanted to get as far away from home as possible. I went to UCF for my first semester and transferred here for the spring semester my freshman year. I didn’t think I’d end up staying in Miami for college; I really wanted to get away.
People who aren’t from here, foreigners or tourists, they come to Miami and think about partying, “let’s go to South Beach” or “let’s go to the Grove.” I had done that already. I wanted to go out and see something new. I ended up coming back for many reasons, it was better for me to come back, but I always wanted to get away.
I was raised to pursue whatever dreams I wanted. My mom and I had a lot of disagreements growing up. We fought a lot. I guess the mentality I’ve always kept is that I grew up knowing what I wanted to do, and pursuing it. Maybe my dad put that in me, because he always made me go play outside and encouraged me to do well in school. My mom too. They both told me I could always do whatever I wanted, as long as I put my head to it, as cliché as that may sound. I’ve always kind of been that way. As far as football goes, I told myself I would play college football, and here I am.
In high school, before I even stepped into class my freshman year, I actually planned out all the classes I would take every year, up to summer school classes, down to the details of whether the classes would be Honors or AP. I took every single one as I planned it. College too. I definitely appreciate all my advisors here, but I pick my own classes and just have them sign off.
Coach Richardson is a character. He’s a funny guy. It’s cool because, to me, when it comes to coaching, he does his job. Outside of the job, he’s always cracking jokes, he’s super funny, the guy is nonstop. I love him to death. He’s an excellent coach, and a cool person.
Coach Golden came in, and everyone kind of didn’t know what to expect or how things were going to go. Spring was an experience for everybody. When spring came, we kind of realized what to expect. But for me, this summer has really tested me, with Coach Swasey and his conditioning expectations now. The bar is set. We all have to get where Coach Golden wants us to be. We may be close, we may be far, but with him, I think we’ll get there. Whatever that means for this year, we will get there. We will be there.
The person I was when I came in before football is definitely not the person I am today. I think football’s shaped me into who I am. I think without it, I wouldn’t be the same. I think it’s made me a better person. You always hear old coaches comparing football to life, but it really is, in its own sense, in a shortened way. You come in fresh, not knowing what’s going on, kind of like being a young kid. You play high school, it’s like growing up. Playing in college is like nearing the end of the road, and when it’s done, I don’t want to say it’s like death, but it’s the end of your football life. Everything you go through is representative of what you go through in life. The successes, the failures, the hard work, and the days you don’t want to go in, in a way it all parallels life. Football definitely helps in shaping a lot of young men around here.
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