Awards

Bicentennial Medal - 2019

Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion - 2007

Reception to honor induction into the College Football Hall of Fame

Bloomington, Indiana

Presenter: Michael A. McRobbie

IUB Athletics Hall of Fame - 2003

About Anthony Q. Thompson

Anthony Thompson is widely regarded as the greatest IU football player. Fifty-two carries, 377 yards and four touchdowns later, Thompson solidified himself in IU history, garnering a new NCAA Division I record for most yards in a single game. By the end of 1989, he added his name to some of college football’s most decorated lists; Heisman Trophy runner-up, first team All-American, Big Ten conference MVP, Walter Camp Player of the Year and Maxwell awards recipient, and was the Division I record-holder for rushing yards in a single game and career touchdowns (65) for nearly a decade.

In his four years at IU, Thompson finished with 5,299 yards, 67 touchdowns and more accolades than any other player to ever don the cream and crimson. His hard work and effort on the field was recognized in 2007 when he became the sixth Hoosier to enter the College Football Hall of Fame, and was presented with the Thomas Hart Benton Mural Medallion by President McRobbie.

One of the finest running backs in the history of college football, Anthony Thompson earned first-team All-America recognition following both his junior and senior seasons. A native of Terre Haute, Ind., he shattered almost every Indiana rushing record imaginable and set multiple Big Ten and NCAA marks. A two-time Big Ten rushing champion, Thompson captured the NCAA rushing and scoring title during his senior campaign and was named the Walter Camp Foundation's Player of the Year, the AFCA "Coaches Choice" Player of the Year, won the Maxwell Award as the nation's finest college football player, and finished second in the 1989 Heisman Trophy voting. Thompson finished his career with 5,299 rushing yards, including 377 yards in a game at Wisconsin in 1989. He held the Division I record for career touchdowns with 65 until the 1998 season when it was broken by Texas' Ricky Williams. He also held the Big Ten record for points scored with 412, a total that was surpassed by Wisconsin's Ron Dayne in 1999.

In 2019, Anthony Thompson was presented the Bicentennial Medal for his distinguished contributions to Indiana University.