Russell Thompson will enter his second year as the Defensive Coordinator at Eastern New Mexico in 2021.
Thompson joined the staff after serving the previous three seasons as the head coach at Cisco College in Cisco, Texas, leading the Wranglers to a no. 17 ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association Polls in both 2018 and 2019. The program defeated five nationally-ranked opponents in 2018 and 2019 with Thompson at the helm and accumulated a record of 10-8 over his final two seasons at Cisco after the program won a total of nine games in the five seasons prior to his arrival.
Prior to turning around the program at Cisco College, Thompson spent six years as the Defensive Coordinator at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas from 2011-16. The Apaches advanced to the SWJCFC Championship Game twice with Thompson on staff, and defeated perennial power Garden City Community College in the 2013 Football Capital of Kansas Bowl.Â
He mentored a pair of Honorable Mention NJCAA All-Americans during his time as Tyler Junior College in Joshua Wheeler and Somari Wright.Â
His first stint as a Defensive Coordinator came at Kilgore Junior College from 2007-10, during which time Thompson had a hand in developing Kilgore as a premier program in the junior college ranks. The program advanced to the SWJCFC Playoffs in all four seasons that he guided the defensive unit.
He returns to the NCAA Division II ranks with the Greyhounds after spending time on the staffs at West Texas A&M in 2004 and East Central University from 1997-98. In total Thompson will bring 22 years of coaching experience to the Eastern New Mexico sidelines.
He graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science from East Central University and holds a Master's Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from West Texas A&M University. He has one daughter, Rebecca, and resides in Clovis, N.M.Â
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