More than 30 years after finishing his football career at the University of Minnesota, Darrell Thompson remains the program's leading rusher. His son plays receiver on the current team, and Dad remains a radio analyst for Gophers games.
As a former NFL player who runs a nonprofit mentoring program and works on behalf of NFL retirees in need, he views the Gophers program with a sense of realism. He has been disappointed by former regimes.
So when Minnesota hired P.J. Fleck as coach, Thompson remembers arming himself with a healthy skepticism.
"I've been disappointed so many times, from the Vikings losing Super Bowls to Gopher losses and difficult seasons," Thompson said. "When Coach Fleck came in and did his first press conference, I took a seat in the back and said, 'Well, this all sounds good, but it's easy to win the first press conference.'
"You know, 'We're going to change the culture, and I just got a pay raise, and everything's wonderful.' But he did make some difficult decisions, and he's gone out and recruited really well. And I also enjoy his actual coaching.
"When I first heard him, I thought he was going to throw the ball 100 times a game. Maybe invent a new offense — 'Everyone else is going with four wideouts — we're gonna go with five!' But he's very fundamentally sound."
Thompson's many interests and careers leave him with a unique mixture of feelings about football and life during the pandemic. He is optimistic about Fleck's Gophers. He is worried about Bolder Options, his mentoring program for at-risk kids. And he is troubled by the NFL's apathy toward former players with needs.
During the pandemic, Thompson has heard Fleck's voice on conference calls with his son True, a senior receiver. Thompson isn't exactly a helicopter parent, though. He's too busy.