Mark Thompson, a 2013 Cheltenham graduate, returned to his alma mater Wednesday to sign a letter of intent to play football at the University of Florida. Photos provided courtesy of Cheltenham High School and Mark Thompson.
By Mary Jane Souder
The opportunity to re-write an ending is rare indeed.
Mark Thompson did just that on Wednesday when he returned to his alma mater – two-and-a-half years after graduating - to sign a letter of intent to play football at the University of Florida.
It’s a storybook ending – and new beginning – for the former Cheltenham star who lived with the dream of playing Division One football but had to overcome obstacles to make it a reality. Some before he even left his alma mater.
“When I graduated from Cheltenham back in 2013, there were some things that happened that were negative,” Thompson said. “I wasn’t able to walk at graduation because of an incident at school. I wasn’t able to participate in the senior all-star game, and I also wasn’t able to participate in districts in track, and obviously, I can’t go to states if I didn’t go to districts.
“I had the number two fastest time in the state for the 200, and I was going to make a run for first place because I believe the kid who had (the number one time) for Neshaminy got hurt the previous week, so I probably would have had a state medal.
“That’s how everybody remembered Mark Thompson graduating, so I wanted a chance to come back and clear my name up and show that things are possible if you don’t give up. A lot of bad things can happen to you in life, but you’ll prevail if you just keep working hard and don’t let adversity overcome you. You have to overcome adversity.”
Thompson is a walking advertisement for the value of perseverance and determination, and perhaps no one was prouder than his high school coach who – along with track coach Dr. Robert Beale - was by his side when he signed his letter of intent on Wednesday.
“Honestly, this is a tribute to him,” coach Joe Gro said. “I had so little to do with any of that. I always gave direction and those kinds of things, but Mark did these things on his own, and I’m just proud of his accomplishments. These are things he earned.
“I have junior college experience. People have no idea how difficult what he had to do is, and the path that he had to travel to get to where he is – it is really incredible. It’s all a tribute to him. I’m just happy that he had the perseverance to do it and was rewarded for his perseverance.”
Things didn’t exactly go as planned when Thompson left Cheltenham and enrolled at Nassau Community College in Long Island, N.Y.
“The coach who recruited me had gotten fired, and I had a relationship with him,” he said. “Sometimes it’s a lot of politics at a junior college.
“I found that out when I went to Nassau, and I was hesitant about where I could go next and if I’d have a shot, which I didn’t have there because of the way things panned out.”
Thompson, who redshirted his freshman season, completed the school year at Nassau. That spring he began e-mailing college coaches and received a phone call from Dodge City Community College. That fall he enrolled in the junior college located in Dodge City, Kansas.
“It’s different,” Thompson said. “There’s not really as much out there as there is here. The land is super flat – you could see five miles away. It’s a different atmosphere.
“I matured as a man, and I worked on my grades, which was something I didn’t do in high school, and got a second chance to overcome.”
In his first year at Dodge City, Thompson caught the eye of then Colorado State coach Jim McElwain.
When McElwain left to take over the helm at Florida, Colorado State – with a new coaching staff in place - temporarily faded into the background, but other D-1 programs entered the picture. Thompson received offers from Arizona State, Iowa, Iowa State, Louisville, Kansas State among others. Colorado State also re-entered the picture, but it was a call from the University of Florida that tipped the scales.
It turns out McElwain hadn’t forgotten Thompson.
“They called in mid-April and said, ‘We’ve been watching you for a while. We really like your tape. You’re our guy, and we want to make it happen. If you can send us your transcript and paperwork and get cleared by the SEC, we can offer you a scholarship,’” Thompson said. “Florida has always been my dream school. That’s were I’ve wanted to go since I was a kid.
“I said, ‘Yes, definitely, just tell me when it’s able to go down, when I can make it official that I have a scholarship from you guys. I’ll wait for it.’”
Thompson made a verbal commitment to Florida on May 13 but this fall returned to Dodge City. The former Cheltenham star was brilliant.
At 6-2, 230, Thompson is powerful, elusive and fast, and video highlights show the former Cheltenham star shedding would-be tacklers or eluding them completely. He rushed for 1,298 yards (fourth in the NJCAA) and 18 touchdowns (tied for third in the NJCAA). For his performance, Thompson - Dodge City’s career rushing touchdown leader with 26 – was named NJCAA Second Team All-American.
“Let me tell you – virtually every college in the United States called regarding him,” said Gro of his former player who became a four star recruit at Dodge City. “Every status program in the country – Alabama and all the way through, so he was sought after by everyone.
“Mark was a gifted kid. There was never a question. He had some maturity issues and did some dumb things (in high school), but there’s a difference between being delinquent and deliberate versus immature. His issues were immaturity. He was a good boy.”
The Panthers’ coach knew Thompson was a special talent.
“I coached my entire life and my first six years of coaching were at Glen Mills where we had dozens of Division One kids,” Gro said. “Back in those days, we could put four or five out a year, and Mark outshined any kid I ever had at Glen Mills. He’s that physically gifted. There were times when you got to see little smatterings of it in high school, but from what I understand, the last couple of years he’s done a little more than smatterings and shown people that this is what he can do.”
Thompson signed his letter of intent on Wednesday at his alma mater, surrounded by his family and coaches.
“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Thompson said. “Coming out of Cheltenham, I didn’t think I would ever go to Florida.
“You need, I think, a 3.8 just to get into the school if you’re out of state. It’s a top-notch university. They don’t accept everybody, and coming out of high school, I definitely knew I wouldn’t get accepted. I didn’t even try to apply. I went the juco route. Things didn’t really work out at my first school, but I didn’t lose hope though. I didn’t get discouraged. I just tried my luck somewhere else. It worked out. I put in the hard work, and my hard work paid off.”
Gro tipped his hat to his former player.
“He’s done all of this through hard work, dedication and commitment,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Mark’s always been special. All the kids have their special things. Mark, early on, was his own worst enemy, but he tried, he gave effort. He came to practice, he worked. All of those are good things, and that’s what he was. I’m glad that he was rewarded.
“He chose to come to our house, and that’s an awesome thing. I’m happy that’s what he wanted to do, and I’m glad that we were there.”
Thompson - who plans to major in family, youth and community sciences with a possible minor in management - wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. He also credited his parents, Angela and Jeff Thompson, for standing by him through his entire journey.
"(They) were very skeptical of me going to junior college, and they actually wanted me to apply to the local D-2 schools, which I did and got denied," Thompson said. "They supported me every step of the way in any way they could. I don't know if I would be the man I am today without their support."
While many wouldn’t have had his perseverance, Thompson never lost faith, he never lost sight of his goal and he never considered walking away from his dream.
“I was always determined,” he said. “Throwing in the towel and letting people have the satisfaction of being ‘right’ about me was never an option.”
On Wednesday, Thompson returned home to write the final chapter to his high school career, a much different man than the one who left of June of 2013. His story, although far from over, will undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to many aspiring athletes.
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