Thompson Repeats as Capital One Academic All-American

(TOWSON, Md.) – Senior cornerback and punt returner Sam Thompson (Alcoa, Tenn.) of the Carnegie Mellon University football team was named a Capital One Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Tuesday, December 4. Thompson was selected to the first-team, marking the second straight season he was named an Academic All-American as he was recognized on the second-team a year ago.

Thompson, who was a nominee for the 2012 Allstate American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Good Works Team, is a mechanical engineering major with a 3.95 GPA.   The senior ended the season ranked fifth nationally in punt returns with an average of 15.35 yards per return.  Against Wabash, Thompson recorded a 92-yard punt return for a touchdown, which set a school record and was the first Tartan punt return for a touchdown since 1999. Thompson added his second return for a score in the regular season finale at Case Western Reserve, as he returned it 56 yards.  This season, he recorded one interception, giving him 10 for his career and ranking him fifth on the school's all-time list. Last season Thompson had seven interceptions, tying a Tartan single-season record and it placed him second in Division III.  Thompson was named first-team All-University Athletic Association (UAA) as a cornerback and a punt returner following the 2012 campaign and was a first-team honoree in 2011 as a cornerback.   

Thompson is a three-time All-UAA Academic member who has made the dean's list for five semesters.   He is a member of the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) where he was the #1 ranked Midshipmen in his class for two years.  He also won the Marine Federal Credit Union award at Officer Candidate School for having the highest academic average in the battalion (about 400 candidates). Thompson is also a co-founder of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at Carnegie Mellon.