COPPELL, TEXAS, TO HONOR FAVORITE SON DURING ANNUAL TOM THOMPSON APPRECIATION DAY CELEBRATION ON JANUARY 12, 2020
/Author, NCAA Record Breaker, Motivational Speaker and Respected Fitness Researcher, Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson Offers Encouragement to Leaders, Mentors, and Managers
The city of Coppell, Texas, will honor author, coach and NCAA record breaker, Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II, during the city's annual Tom Thompson Appreciation Day celebration on January 12, 2020. Thompson recently met with Coppell, Texas, Mayor Karen Hunt to discuss his latest book, The Life Coach, co-written with Coach Ronnie Gage and Alice Sullivan. Pictured (L to R): Hunt and Thompson. (Tom Thompson photo)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 11, 2020) - The city of Coppell, Texas, will honor Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II during the city's annual Tom Thompson Appreciation Day celebration on January 12, 2020.
The annual celebration commemorates the author, coach and NCAA record breaker's accomplishment of November 14, 2009, when he became both the oldest football player in NCAA history and the oldest NCAA football player to score a point.
At 61, Thompson was kicking his way into the record books by scoring the PAT (Point After Touchdown) in the second quarter of the game between Austin College and Trinity University. Ronnie Gage, head coach of the Austin College Kangaroos and a Texas high school football legend, stood on the sidelines and watched the football sail between the uprights.
That kick thrust both Thompson and Gage into the national media spotlight, with coverage by outlets including CBS and NBC News and Sports, ABC and Fox News, ESPN, Associated Press, CNN, MSNBC, Sports Illustrated, and more.While Thompson's game-winning kick made history and put tiny Austin College on the sports media map, the event was never designed to be a publicity stunt. In fact, Coach Gage didn't even like Thompson at first, and assumed he was "a wacko with an agenda" for wanting to play college football at 60. But as the season wore on, Coach Gage realized Thompson's heart was in the right place.
"There are plenty of football players with exceptional talent," Coach Gage explains. "But sometimes you scout a player who is an inch too short or 1/10th of a second too slow, but they have heart... they have passion. If it comes down to a choice between talent or heart, I'll go with the heart every time. That's one thing I learned about Tom Thompson--he had talent, but he also had heart."The NCAA record breaker has since teamed up with his former college football coach to deliver The Life Coach, a new book that is part inspirational memoir, part Texas football history, and part motivational guide for leaders.
The Life Coach released on October 1, 2019, from Clovercroft Publishing, and is distributed to the trade by Ingram Content Group, the world's largest distributor of printed content. For more information on Thompson and The Life Coach, visit 91kick.com, or like on Facebook (facebook.com/91kick), Instagram (instagram.com/91kick), or Twitter (@91kick).
Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II's latest book, The Life Coach, is a collaboration with former Austin College football coach Ronnie Gage and Alice Sullivan. (Cover image courtesy of Clovercroft Publishing)
About The Life Coach:
Written by author, professor, researcher, motivational speaker, coach and NCAA record breaker, Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II and legendary Texas football coach Ronnie Gage, with Alice Sullivan, The Life Coach is part inspirational memoir, part Texas football history, and part motivational guide for leaders.
The new book released from Clovercroft Publishing on October 1, 2019, and is distributed to the trade by Ingram Content Group, the world's largest distributor of printed content.
The Life Coach is the first result of Thompson and Gage's "post-kick" collaboration since Gage coached Thompson into the NCAA record books. A combination sports memoir and inspirational leadership manual, The Life Coach delves into how to juggle the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of everyday life.
"We didn't really develop a relationship until after that season was over," says Thompson. "I didn't presume because we were close in age that I could engage him in any topic other than football. The man is a legend in Texas football history, and it was important to me that my teammates see me treat him with the respect he deserved. He told me flat out that he was not giving me any special treatment. And I appreciated that. But I knew when I first got to know Coach Gage that we would do some things together."
"Coach Gage is a quiet, humble guy, and his faith has been a big part of his life," Dr. Thompson explains. "He's gone through some of the worst things that life can throw at you, including the loss of his daughter to a brain tumor, and is still able to cling to the goodness of God."
Each chapter in The Life Coach includes some of Coach Gage's life story, which includes his marriage to his high school sweetheart, 42 years' worth of wins, losses, and ties in one of the most competitive football environments in the country, along with the trials, tribulations, and ordinary victories of a life well lived. Dr. Thompson adds a special "Huddle Up with Tom Thompson" section to each chapter, gleaning lessons for leaders from Coach Gage's story.
"My part of the book is sharing leadership principles based on Coach Gage's story, and then showing how they apply to everyday life," says Dr. Thompson. "For me, the most powerful part of the book is when he was dealing with his daughter's illness. Most of the team didn't even know she was sick. In February of that year, we had a football player collapse and die. When Coach was notified, he left his daughter in the hospital, drove to the college to address the team about the goodness of God, then drove back to be with his daughter. That's the kind of man Coach Gage is. He has the unique ability to encourage people when they are going through hard times, and to help them realize that life is better with God."
"Hardship doesn't have to put you in a hole you can't crawl out of," Coach Gage muses. "As a coach, I was harder on kids who tried to use hardship as a crutch. Life is about working as hard as you can, and being the best you can be. If you do that, you have a chance to win. If you don't prepare hard, it cuts your chances of being successful. At the end of the day, our legacy will be determined by a culmination of the choices we make along the way."
For more information on Coach Gage, Dr. Thompson, and The Life Coach, visit 91kick.com, or like on Facebook (facebook.com/91kick),Instagram (instagram.com/91kick), or Twitter (@91kick or @RonnieRgage).
Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II first came to national attention in 2009, when, at age 61, he kicked his way into the record books, becoming the oldest football player in NCAA history and the oldest NCAA football player to score a point. (Roark Photography photo)
About Tom Thompson:
Author, professor, researcher, motivational speaker, coach and NCAA record breaker, Dr. Emmet C. (Tom) Thompson II, D.S.L., M.S., M.A., kicked his way into the record books at age 61, when he became the oldest football player in NCAA history and the oldest NCAA football player to score a point when he kicked the PAT (Point After Touchdown) in the second quarter of the game between Austin College and Trinity University on November 14, 2009.
Dr. Thompson's late-in-life college football career was neither the beginning nor the end of his claim to fame. During his remarkable life, Thompson (a 9th degree black belt Tae Kwon Do grandmaster and a former Board of Advisors member of the American Council on Martial Arts) has worked out with Chuck Norris, partied with Elvis, borrowed money from the mob (and lived to tell about it), married a beauty queen and had a personal encounter with God.
Dr. Thompson, a respected researcher in the fields of motivation and change, recently collaborated with his friend and former coach, Ronnie Gage, on the inspirational and motivational memoir, The Life Coach, which offers readers sound life and leadership principles based on the individual effort and team-first mentality required for a successful football season -- and a successful life.
To learn more about Dr. Thompson and The Life Coach, visit 91kick.com, or like him on Facebook at facebook.com/91kick, Instagram at instagram.com/91kick, or Twitter (@91kick).
One of the winningest high school football coaches in the state of Texas, Ronnie Gage offers a wealth of insight to leaders and managers in his new book, The Life Coach. (Sloan Photography)
About Coach Ronnie Gage:
Ronnie Gage coached football in Texas for 42 years before retiring, compiling one of the most enviable winning records in state history. His accolades include 3 high school championship rings--two as a coach and one as an athletic director. He was the first coach in Texas to win a championship at the 5-A level in both division 1 and division 2. He was inducted into the Texas High School Coaches Association's Hall of Honor. He served as president of the Texas High School Coaches Association, an organization of over 18,000 members. He served on the board of directors and was selected to serve on the advisory board of the THSCA.
In 2004, Ronnie was chosen Citizen of The Year for Lewisville, TX. He was voted District Coach of the Year seven times, Texas Sportswriters Coach of the Year two times, and Dallas All Sports Association Coach of the Year two times. He had his 1996 team recognized on a Cheerios Box and was chosen by Fox Sports as the Coach Who Makes a Difference in 1999. Recently, in his hometown of Decatur, TX, he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.
Coach Gage coached the Austin College football team from 2006 to 2009 and coached the 61-year-old place kicker Tom Thompson, who set an NCAA record. Over 40 players who have played for him are in the coaching profession today, including his son James and daughter Julianne, who are both teaching/coaching. He has been married to his high school sweetheart Stephanie for 42 years.
Ronnie Gage offers a wealth of insight to coaches, teachers, family members, or any professionals who aspire to be in a leadership role in the new book The Life Coach. For more information on Coach Gage, follow him on Twitter @RonnieRgage.
