Hall of Fame
Known through much of his career as the "Throwin' Samoan," Jack Thompson became one of the most prolific passers in Pacific-8 Conference and NCAA history following three record-breaking seasons at Washington State. Thompson came out of nowhere in 1976 as a sophomore under head coach Jackie Sherrill. He became the most prolific single-season passer in WSU and conference history, setting six league and Cougar records. By the end of his career Thompson had thrown 1,086 passes, completing 601 for 7,818 yards and 53 touchdowns. His 7,818 yards was a three-year NCAA record and in all he set six WSU career marks and an equal number of Pac-8 standards. He generated 7,698 yards in total offense during his career, the third highest total in NCAA history. He also was the first junior in NCAA history to top the 5,000-yard mark in passing. Thompson was a Sporting News All-America First Team selection in 1978 and won all-league first-team honors as a sophomore and senior. Thompson played in the 1978 Hula Bowl and was MVP of the 1978 Challenge Bowl. The third overall selection in the 1979 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Thompson spent three seasons with Cincinnati, then his final two NFL years with Tampa Bay. Thompson was born in American Samoa and prepped at Evergreen High in Seattle. He is only the second Cougar football athlete to have his jersey number (14) retired, joining fellow Hall-of-Famer Mel Hein (7).
