Chris Thompson, a Madison County High School graduate and local legend, will be returning to the Washington Redskins in 2016 as one of the three running backs on the team.
Thompson was drafted with the 154th pick of the NFL draft by the Redskins back in 2013.
Born in Greenville, Thompson became passionate about football at an early age and played football for both Madison County Central School and Madison County High School. After graduating from high school, Thompson committed to play football at Florida State University.
Thompson recalled that the opportunity to play at FSU became the toughest time of his life, as he was injured during a game against Wake Forest. He suffered a broken back and the injury brought him to a long road of recovery. Despite that setback, Thompson was a co-winner of the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award as the Most Courageous player in 2012 after returning from injury recovery.
Although he did not finish his junior and senior seasons at FSU, the Redskins saw promise and drafted him. Thompson never gave up despite his rocky start, even when he was placed on the injured list.
Thompson appeared in 38 games with eight starts at FSU, rushing 277 times for 1,735 yards with 14 rushing touchdowns as well as compiling 45 receptions for 430 yards with one receiving touchdown. In 2012, Thompson carried 91 times for 687 yards and five touchdowns in only eight games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Before his injury, Thompson was on pace to become FSU’s first 1,000-yard back since Warrick Dunn in 1996.
By working hard at what he loves, Thompson reached success and was added to the Redskins' roster in December of 2014 after being on the practice squad since August. He played his first game against the New York Giants on Dec. 14, 2014 and scored his first career touchdown - getting a taste of the glory that made all of the setbacks and recovery worth it.
He experienced the best season of his career in 2015. In a regular season opener against the Miami Dolphins, Thompson tallied 11 rushing yards on three carries. Thompson recorded his first touchdown of 2015 during a game against the New York Giants in the third week of the season.
The best game of Thompson's career was against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he totaled 53 yards rushing, 42 of which came on a third-and-19 draw play, along with 24 receiving yards on two receptions.
Thompson missed several games due to issues with his shoulder and neck but returned to the fields in the Redskins' NFC on Dec. 26 in another game against the Eagles. Thompson caught a 12-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter of a 38-24 victory.
Overall, Thompson wrapped up the 2015 season with 216 rushing yards on 35 carries, 240 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 35 receptions.
In addition to all of his accomplishments, Thompson was ranked as the nation’s second best all-purpose player coming out of Madison County and was a four-star prospect who earned PrepStar and Under Armour All-American honors.
Thompson is a true inspiration to his hometown of Madison County, giving an example to all of the youth at MCHS and MCCS who hope to become professional football players someday. In spite of it all, Thompson has conquered through and continued to push on even when he felt like giving up. Time and time again, Thompson has battled his injuries and never allowed that to hold him back from his dreams.
Thompson has dreams of excelling further in his career and becoming the best person he can be. He is the son of Maurice and Cynthia James and Jerome Thompson, both of Greenville.