Leander / Cedar Park Youth Football League: LCP Alumni
LCP Alumni InformationThis page will be for LCP Alumni. We would like to encourage our alumni to join the LCPYFL Website. LCP has been blessed with some fine coaches, players, volunteers and sponsors in the past. We do not want to lose the great traditions of the past. If you have pictures, articles, rosters, records or just good stories of the past and would like to help us build our history database please email them to elee@varco.com or mail them to my address listed on the Board Member section of this website. If you have other ideas how we can keep LCP alumni involved with LCPYFL please email this also or give me a call.
Thanks for your continued support.
Earl Lee
LCPYFL
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Can you name the missing LIONS? If so, email them to me at elee@varco.com
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Reprinted from the Daily Oklahoman We tore it up, Brosie remembered. I threw it to him every time. I just threw it up and hed go get it. But after their ninth-grade season at Leander (Texas) High School, their roles changed. No one came right out and said it. But during offseason drills, Brosie watched Thompson throwing passes, not catching them. And he knew. He threw it as well as I could, Brosie said. And he could play any position the coaches wanted him at. All these years later, Brosie understands why the move was made. Thompson is among three Oklahoma quarterbacks competing for the right to replace Jason White. When preseason practice begins Thursday, hell get the first shot. Thompsons best friend figures hell win the job. I wanted Paul to play quarterback (at Leander), Brosie said. Im rooting for him like no other now. Funny thing, though. Thompson wouldnt have been in position to assume OUs most glamorous position if not for that long-ago role reversal. And he wasnt initially fired up about the switch. Mark Thompson, Pauls father, had long noted his sons throwing ability. He believed Pauls athletic ability and quick mind would form a potent combination at quarterback. I told him, You need to try quarterback, Mark Thompson said. Said Paul: We had a little talk. I was never against playing quarterback. Maybe not. But Mark Thompson said he gave a fatherly nudge, suggesting the idea to Leanders football coaches. Without that? I dont think he would have been a quarterback, Mark Thompson said. And perhaps not without Brosies blessing. He moved to free safety and watched Paul blossom. Their friendship didnt miss a beat. He took it well, Paul Thompson said. There wasnt even that much talk about it. Said Brosie: I felt he was a good man for the position, so it wasnt that bad. Thompson quickly proved to be a good fit. After learning on the job as a sophomore, Thompson compiled more than 2,000 yards as a junior. He threw for 1,600 yards and ran for 1,000 more as a senior. He stepped in there like hed been playing quarterback his whole life, Brosie said. Soon enough, big-time colleges came calling. Only one the nearest didnt offer Thompson a chance to play quarterback. Leander, a town of 5,000, is located about 25 miles northwest of the Texas campus. After Thompson excelled at Texas football camp, the Longhorns grew very interested in him. Just not as a quarterback. Mark Thompson, Pauls father, said Longhorns offensive coordinator Greg Davis called a few days later and offered a scholarship, with one hitch. He said, We want him to play wide receiver, Mark Thompson said. Just two years earlier, Paul had needed persuasion to move from receiver to quarterback. He had no intention of moving back. I got real comfortable at quarterback, Paul Thompson said. I wanted to continue on. Jim Skinner, then Leanders head coach (hes now at Birdville High School in suburban Fort Worth, Texas), agreed with the decision. He was an excellent specimen of a quarterback, Skinner said. He could throw the football, he could run, he could read coverages. I thought he was a natural at quarterback, plus he had the leadership ability. If youre looking for a quarterback, to me, youre looking for a young man with a lot of character. And Paul Thompson has a tremendous amount of character. The thing that irritated me was (Texas) didnt give him a chance. OU did. Like other college recruiters, OUs coaches were impressed by Thompsons athletic ability he was a standout high-jumper and sprinter in high school. But Mark Thompson said offensive coordinator Chuck Longs recruiting pitch went something like this: If he comes here, fine. But wherever he goes, he needs to play quarterback. You know the rest of the story. Thompson signed with OU. As a true freshman in 2002, he was thrust into the backups role when White suffered his second knee injury. A year ago, he redshirted while getting plenty of practice work in hopes of starting for two years. And while Thompson has exhibited patience, that hasnt been as easy back home, according to Brosie. Everyone in Leander was really mad at Jason White for coming back (for a sixth season in 2004), Brosie said. And now, said Brosie, everyone is rooting hard for Thompson. Including, of course, Brosie. That position switch never looked better. I dont know if it was because we were good friends, Brosie said, or because I thought he would be a good quarterback. But it was OK. I think in the back of Pauls mind, he always wanted to play quarterback. It ended up pretty good for him. |