Robert Thompson (American football)

Robert Thompson (born February 4, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) is a retired American football linebacker. He played for the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1982 and in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.

A native of Chicago, Illinois, Thompson attended Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois.

Thompson enrolled at the University of Michigan and played football under head coach Bo Schembechler from 1979 to 1982. In the final game of the 1980 season, Thompson helped secure the Big Ten Conference championship with a key fourth-down sack of Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, as the Buckeyes were driving in Michigan territory with less than a minute left in the game. The 1980 team held opponents to an average of 1.8 points per game in the final five games of the season and defeated Washington in the 1981 Rose Bowl. In four years playing football for the Michigan Wolverines, Thompson was credited with 214 tackles (including 39 tackles for loss), 188 yards on tackles for loss and 123 yards on quarterback sacks. Thompson was selected by his teammates as a co-captain for both the 1981 and 1982 football teams. In November 1982, two Michigan linebackers (Thompson and Paul Girgash) were all selected to the first team on the Associated Press 1982 All-Big Ten football team. He was also selected as a 1982 first-team Academic All-America team player.