Mark Thompson could not have been much more successful in high school. He was a four-time homecoming king, a quarterback for a state championship team, runner-up in the state wrestling tournament at 171 pounds and his senior class' president.
Instead of easily continuing this type of success at a small college, Thompson decided he wanted a challenge.
After being recruited by many Division III and I-AA schools for his services at quarterback, the graduate of Moorestown High School in New Jersey decided to use his college career to concentrate on wrestling--a move he hoped would allow him to go to a well known school with good academics. He eventually decided to come to Duke and looked forward to having a great career on the wrestling mat.
But, as his first love, the football itch kept coming. After many talks with wrestling head coach Clar Anderson and football head coach Carl Franks, Thompson decided to walk-on to the football team as a defensive back and remain on the wrestling team at the same time.
Needless to say, there was quite a transition from star of a state championship high school team to a walk-on for a football team that did not win a game the previous season.
"When I became part of the team, I didn't realize the losing streak was going to be part of it," Thompson said. "It didn't really make a difference because I was coming in as a walk-on. I didn't know what to expect coming in. I didn't even know if I could compete at this level. I had to earn my spot."
Thompson never had any pride problems in the transition; he was too busy focusing on learning his new defensive position.
"I only played defensive back until my senior year [in high school] so I came in here expecting to learn a whole lot," Thompson said.
Working through the adversity that comes from being a walk-on freshman, Thompson caught the eyes of the football coaches before wrestling season. He decided to red-shirt his freshman year of wrestling, but showed flashes of brilliance in his brief appearances at freshmen-only tournaments. He posted a final record of 7-2, finishing second at the Carolina-Sharpie Open and third at the VMI freshman tournament. With his success on the mat, Thompson thought about putting his sole attention on wrestling.
"I never thought of quitting because I didn't want to do football, I thought about quitting just to focus on wrestling," Thompson said. "If I quit it wouldn't be because it was too hard. It would have been to focus on my [wrestling] goals."
Thompson eventually decided to keep playing football that spring, and it proved to be a great decision. Franks announced that he was giving the defensive back a scholarship for all of his hard work. Although the scholarship has to be renewed every season, it was a great moment for both Thompson and the team.
"When I announced to the team that I was giving him a scholarship, the reaction of the team was a heartwarming experience." Franks said. "Guys stood up and cheered, it was good to see how much the team cared about him."
Thompson had similar memories about the event.
"It was a huge relief," Thompson said. "It was a celebration, too. My first reaction was to my teammates at how happy they were for me. That's one of the greatest moments I've ever experienced."
Thompson was named the team's most improved defensive player last spring, and received his first playing time on special teams in Duke's win Saturday. With the scholarship, Thompson's priority switched from wrestling to football, but this did not bother the wrestling coach.
"It doesn't have to be an either-or thing," Anderson said. "Their season ends with plenty of our season left. He's in shape, and he's a great student, so he doesn't have to academically catch up."
Thompson also worried about his weight for wrestling, but playing the defensive back position, he will not have to bulk-up significantly.
"The [football team] wants me at about 205 pounds, and I wrestle at 197, so it's a perfect combination," Thompson said.
An outstanding student who is on the pre-med track, Mark uses the two sports to structure his studying time.
"I sit in my room a lot [studying]," Thompson said. "I feel like football and wrestling structure my time. I have a routine that I follow. If I had a lot free-time, I would probably waste a lot of it."
Thompson's scholarship has affected his social life as well. As a red-shirt last season, he still had some time to be with his friends. This season his time has been more constricted, and he has been forced to put the team over his friends, but his coaches agree that in the end it will be worth it.
"His potential is untapped," Anderson said. "He has a lot of room to shine both on the football field and the wrestling mat."
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