East great and former NFL running back Woody Thompson dies at age 71
Woody Thompson, whose football career blossomed on one of Erie’s great high school teams and concluded after three NFL seasons, has died at the age of 71.
Thompson died Thursday, less than two weeks shy of his 72nd birthday. The death of the 1971 East graduate and former Atlanta Falcons running back was initially confirmed by in a letter posted on the Facebook page for Erie’s Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
It’s with our deepest regards of love and compassion,” the letter said, “that Elder D.R. Wells Jr., Lady Daria Wells and the entire church family offer our condolences to sister Stacy Thompson and the entire family in the transition of brother Alexander “Woody” Thompson.”
Franklin native another Falcon
Thompson was a four-time, All-City football player while at East. He was the star of the Warriors’ 1969 team, long argued as the best in the city’s history.
Months before Thompson graduated from there in 1971, he was that year’s heavyweight champion for the PIAA’s wrestling tournament. The meet, which was open class at that time, was held at Penn State University’s Rec Hall.
Thompson went 20-2 as a junior and 23-0 as a senior, according to pa-wrestling.com.
The University of Miami (Florida), a decade before it became an NCAA Division I football power, recruited Thompson as a running back. He rushed for 1,338 yards and 11 touchdowns between 1972-74.
Thompson’s best season was 1973, when he ran for 802 yards and eight scores.
Atlanta thought enough of Thompson to choose him during the third round of the 1975 NFL draft. He totaled 877 rushing yards and one touchdown over 35 games.
One of Thompson’s pro teammates was another northwestern Pennsylvania native.
Thompson was a rookie when Rolland “Bay” Lawrence was in the third of his eight seasons as a Falcons cornerback. The Franklin graduate, now 73, was elated to learn Atlanta’s new running back was the same person whose East exploits he’d heard about years before.
Lawrence’s enthusiasm was tempered, though, during the Falcons’ training camps. It was during a Friday phone interview that the former 179-pound corner discussed trying to block or bring down the former 6-foot, 1-inch, 228-pound Thompson.
“When the young pups came (into camp), the veterans always wanted to see how real they were,” Lawrence said.”Well, with Woody, it didn’t take long to see. I didn’t like trying to tackle him.”
Despite Thompson’s presence, Atlanta went 15-27 during his three seasons on its roster. He was released a year before the franchise made its postseason debut in 1978.
More:All-around athlete Buzz Brandon, a Metro Erie Sports Hall of Famer, died at 76
Cost of glory
Thompson’s NFL career was slightly below the league’s current average of 3 1/3 seasons. However, it still took long-lasting physical and mental tolls on him.
It was just over a decade ago when Thompson was among more than 4,500 former NFL players who filed a lawsuit against the league. They alleged league officials were aware of the long-term effects of concussions and related injuries, but withheld that information.
The case was settled out of court in 2014. However, it was publically announced that the league had to pay former players from a pool of more than $700 million.
How much an individual player received was was based on the longevity of his career and the scope of his injury or injuries.
Thompson briefly spoke about that issue in a Feb. 5, 2017, Erie Times-News article. It was published days ahead of the Falcons’ appearance in Super Bowl LI.
Thompson said he was more enthused about Atlanta’s second appearance in the NFL’s title game than the first by its 1998 team. That was due to his past animosity towards the league and Rankin Smith Sr., the Falcons’ original owner, regarding the concussion issue.
“Some of my experiences didn’t lend me to root for the Falcons (at that time),” he said. “I could kind of take them or let them alone.”
More:Former NBA referee Paul Mihalak remembered for chatting with players, aiding other refs
Arrangements to be determined
Funeral arrangements haven’t been announced for Thompson, who was enshrined in the 1988 class for the Metropolitan Erie chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame
