BleedGopher
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Great profile by Joe Christensen:
Cedric Thompson retraced some of the steps that led him from L.A. to a dusty California outpost to, finally, the Gophers football team.
Thompson made a smooth transition from high school running back to college defensive back. He played seven games as a true freshman and emerged as a starter last year. He is still a workout fiend and roams the field now as a 5-10, 210-pound force.
“You see a guy who has grown up into a man,” Sawvel said. “I expect him to have a very good year this year.”
Thompson wore No. 27 his first two years with the Gophers, but this year he is switching to No. 2. He’s also going to add “Jr.” to the name on the back of his jersey, honoring his dad. A conversation with his father also inspired Thompson to get a lion’s face tattooed onto his left forearm.
“My dad’s not a real emotional person; he kind of just keeps everything to himself,” Thompson said. “But one day, we were on the phone and he said, ‘You’re the lion of the family. A lion is someone who leads his family, leads the pack, and you’re the first one out. You’re doing exactly what you need to do.’ ”
Thompson hopes to make enough money after he graduates, from the NFL or elsewhere, to open a program at Jesse Owens Park to help young athletes get into college. He looks back on his own experiences — with no ACT preparatory class, for example — knowing how much he would have appreciated the same guidance.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/214505161.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue
Go Gophers!!
Cedric Thompson retraced some of the steps that led him from L.A. to a dusty California outpost to, finally, the Gophers football team.
Thompson made a smooth transition from high school running back to college defensive back. He played seven games as a true freshman and emerged as a starter last year. He is still a workout fiend and roams the field now as a 5-10, 210-pound force.
“You see a guy who has grown up into a man,” Sawvel said. “I expect him to have a very good year this year.”
Thompson wore No. 27 his first two years with the Gophers, but this year he is switching to No. 2. He’s also going to add “Jr.” to the name on the back of his jersey, honoring his dad. A conversation with his father also inspired Thompson to get a lion’s face tattooed onto his left forearm.
“My dad’s not a real emotional person; he kind of just keeps everything to himself,” Thompson said. “But one day, we were on the phone and he said, ‘You’re the lion of the family. A lion is someone who leads his family, leads the pack, and you’re the first one out. You’re doing exactly what you need to do.’ ”
Thompson hopes to make enough money after he graduates, from the NFL or elsewhere, to open a program at Jesse Owens Park to help young athletes get into college. He looks back on his own experiences — with no ACT preparatory class, for example — knowing how much he would have appreciated the same guidance.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/gophers/214505161.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue
Go Gophers!!
