2023 Countdown to IUFB Kickoff: 32 Days (Anthony Thompson)
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Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
The 2023 edition of the Hoosier Huddle Countdown is officially underway! We are counting down from 100 to the beginning of the 2023 Indiana University football season. Each day, we will take a look at one (or two) players on the current Indiana football roster and highlight the player’s role in the upcoming season. Of course, there are certain numbers that current players do not wear. Numbers that are reserved for the best of the best in Indiana football history. One such number is 32 and our countdown focus is on all-time great running back Anthony Thompson.
Name: Anthony Thompson
Hometown: Terre Haute, Indiana
Position: Running Back
Year: 1986 to 1989
Height/Weight: 5’11”/207 pounds
Indiana University does not have a glorious history on the gridiron and very few Hoosiers have left a mark on the national landscape of collegiate football. There are a few shining beacons though that show everyone around the country, IU football is capable of doing amazing things. One of those shining beacons is running back Anthony Thompson. Thompson dominated the Big Ten from 1986 to 1989, rushing for 5,299 yards and 67 touchdowns as the Hoosiers went to three bowl games in four years under head coach Bill Mallory.
Thompson was an All-American in both 1988 and 1989 and won both the Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards in 1989. His dominance would prove to be a high-water mark for Indiana football as he rewrote the IU record book during his career. An article on his career highlights could quickly grow into a lengthy novella so we’ll stick to bullet points that showcase some of his greatest games and career achievements:
· Led the NCAA in rushing yards as a senior with 1793 yards
· Led the NCAA in rushing touchdowns as a senior with 24
· Held the Division I record for career touchdowns (65) until the 1998 season when it was broken by Ricky Williams
· Finished second in 1989 Heisman Trophy voting
· Dominated the Ohio State Buckeyes in successive victories in 1988 and 1989
· Ran for a then NCAA single-game record 377 yards against Wisconsin in 1989.
· Two-time Big Ten MVP
Anthony Thompson remains one of the greatest, if not the greatest, players to ever lace up the cleats in Bloomington. His place atop the Indiana rushing rankings appears set in stone unless a drastic change occurs in the way the sport is played.
The countdown continues with a new profile each and every day so come back to hoosierhuddle.com daily!