Robert Thompson

Robert Thompson (born February 4, 1960) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1979 to 1982 before playing in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.

Early life A native of Chicago, Illinois, Thompson attended Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois.

University of Michigan Thompson enrolled at the University of Michigan and played football under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1979 to 1982. In the final game of the 1980 season, Thompson helped secure the Big Ten Conference championship with a key fourth-down sack of Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, as the Buckeyes were driving in Michigan territory with less than a minute left in the game. The 1980 team held opponents to an average of 1.8 points per game in the final five games of the season and defeated Washington in the 1981 Rose Bowl. Thompson was selected by his teammates as a co-captain for both the 1981 and 1982 football teams. In November 1982, two Michigan linebackers (Thompson and Paul Girgash) were all selected to the first team on the Associated Press 1982 All-Big Ten football team. He was also selected as a 1982 first-team Academic All-America team player. He signed with the Oilers and participated in the pre-season games with the team, but he was released by Houston in the final roster cutdown to 49 players. In October 1983, he signed a contract as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He returned to the Buccaneers roster in October 1984, and played in 9 games during the 1984 season.

During the 1987 NFL season, Thompson returned to the NFL as a replacement player for the Detroit Lions during the players strike. He was one of only seven replacement players on the Lions who had prior NFL experience. He appeared in all 3 games for the Lions during the players' strike. In February 1988, Thompson signed as a free agent with the Lions, but he did not make the Lions regular season roster.