Since the beginning of his lacrosse career, Jeremy Thompson has always been one to fight for every chance that helps his team be better. At the core of that has been his motor, and it’s a different drive than almost any other athlete in the sport.
“It starts out with simple stories in my culture, the story that was given and inspired me to be a part of lacrosse and continue with it; they were off of the animal stories,” Thompson said about where his tenacity came from. “I grew up hearing those stories, that every animal brought a different perspective and uniqueness to the game, and everyone has a strength. I was never afraid of hard work, and I think that’s what my parents instilled in us. Hearing that story alone was something that just – like, that’s the key to life.”
“As long as you keep busy in moving your body and mind, spiritually, emotionally, and physically, you’re never going to go wrong,” Thompson continued. “It always came down to passion, heart, and it was just something that was fun.”
The story of the land animals playing the birds has stuck with Thompson throughout his whole life, as it can with any fan of the sport who wants to find their place in it.
“Mine was always the deer,” Thompson said about which animal he most connected with. “I just always loved to run, the motto growing up was just I would always ‘run for fun’ because it was like medicine for me.”
That ability to move up the floor is one way his running shows on the turf. But it’s also built into his drive for a faceoff win or a loose-ball recovery.
“He just competes,” President and General Manager Dan Carey said after Thompson’s preseason game. “He’s all over ground balls, he’s a pretty active player, and one we’re excited to add to our roster. He’s a veteran guy with great leadership skills, and he’s going to bring a lot to our locker room as well as on the floor.”
Thompson has been one of the faces of lacrosse for a while. Originally a national champion at Onondaga Community College, he was the first of his four brothers to blaze a trail of lacrosse excellence at the Division I and professional level.
However, even before joining the professional ranks, Thompson had shown an ability to play wherever the ball was on the field. When he was a senior at Syracuse University, he was the primary faceoff specialist and led all Orange midfielders in points.
“When you’re born, your parents teach you that you don’t only have one gift to offer in this life,” Thompson said about his skills contributing to his game. “Yeah, some people can focus on one or two of them, but sometimes you might be mastering a handful of them, and once you can do that, I apply them to lacrosse. I didn’t just consider myself a faceoff guy, a defensive guy, or an offensive guy.”
Thompson’s understanding of himself as more than a specialist isn’t going unnoticed in Rochester. Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen has seen it from the opposing bench enough to know what the Knighthawks are getting with the vet.
“Jeremy’s just a lacrosse player,” Hasen said following the Knighthawks’ final preseason game on Nov. 22. “He’s good at faceoffs and can take them. He’s not going to overwhelm the stats, but he’s going to give us the ability to compete for those loose balls first and foremost. And he’s another guy that fits into our system that’s going to play a hard set of D.”
“Watching him from afar and watching him this past weekend,” Hasen continued. “He just has an innate and really good ability to read the play and get up the floor really quick.”
Thompson’s drive has left its mark on the NLL. After college, he was taken ninth overall by the Buffalo Bandits in the National Lacrosse League and sixth overall by the Hamilton Nationals in Major League Lacrosse. Through 13 NLL seasons, he has won the second most faceoffs in NLL history (2,560) and the fifth most loose-ball recoveries (1900). Along with his records, he’s hoisted the NLL Cup three times and holds the playoff record for faceoff wins with 268.
Now entering his 14th season, he was ready to return to the area where his career started.
“For me, it’s kinda like coming back home, and that’s what my thought process was,” Thompson said. “I was coming back home, around family and friends. It’s the place I grew up in with my childhood friends. Obviously, I have a huge family that’s always supported me throughout my career, so I’m just thrilled.”
“I had a lot of family that came to my games when I was in college up at OCC, then onto Syracuse. It’s a short, tiny drive from Syracuse (to Rochester),” said Thompson, who spent two years at SU in 2010 and 2011. He was a two-time all-conference selection and earned third-team USILA All-American honors as a senior.
Coming home isn’t the only reason Thompson to the Knighthawks works out. He also brings his championships and his ability to play everywhere on the floor.
“He’s got championship experience, and he’s got a whole ton of experience in this league, and he has that drive to succeed and help us get to a championship,” Hasen said. “Watching him and being across from him for all those years, he’s hard to play against. And he’s going to bring that here for us this year and be a valuable tool for those guys to watch, listen, and learn from.”
Being in his later years in the league, Thompson knows he can bring that knowledge to a group of players eager to learn from a multiple-time NLL champ.
“It’s huge, any time you get the opportunity to share and spread your knowledge, and you know, just be,” Thompson said. “At the end of the day, we’re a team, and everyone knows that concept when it comes to the game of lacrosse. We’re not gonna go out there and win a championship by one single guy, it’s going to take a collective impact from our teammates to our coaches to the entire organization and what they’re putting in behind the scenes.”
“When I look back on some of the fortunate championships I was able to be a part of, that was the key,” Thompson continued. “People weren’t afraid to do the dirty work and also put in the work behind the scenes, and it showed a result on the floor.”
Thompson is now the third Haudenosaunee National Team player on the Knighthawks roster this season, joining Zed Williams and Jake Piseno. With the Seneca Nation’s acquisition of the team in August, there is no doubt that bringing more eyes to Indigenous players has been central to the team. Thompson saw that and knew what it could mean for the league.
“It had a huge impact; it was one of my major decisions in deciding on a new team,” Thompson said about the Seneca Nation acquiring the Knighthawks. “When it comes to Indigenous awareness and appearances, I think it was a huge move from the Seneca Nation. I’ve worked with them in the past through Food Sovereignty and different initiatives throughout our communities. They’ve really put a lot of funds into youth, sports, and recreation. They’ve gone above and beyond, and it wasn’t a surprise that they made this move. It will bring more highlights to our community and to our athletes as well.”
Now with his fifth NLL team, Thompson is playing closer to home than he ever has in his pro career. The experience he’s gained through records and championships will be invaluable to his teammates, but the mentality and drive from a greater purpose is what any player can learn the most from.