Purdue football's Broc Thompson, former Music City Bowl MVP, retires
WEST LAFAYETTE − Just a little more than 16 months ago, Broc Thompson was playing through immense pain while putting on an all-time performance.
Knowing he had two pending leg surgeries following the Music City Bowl in December 2021, the Purdue receiver refused to be held back by the limitations he had that day.
"I'm not going to lie, I don't know how I finished the game," Thompson said on Dec. 30, 2021 after setting a Music City Bowl record with 217 receiving yards in Purdue's 48-45 victory over Tennessee.
All Thompson wanted to be was a football player, but it came at a physical and mental cost.
Citing five leg surgeries in five years, Thompson announced he is retiring from football with a post on his Instagram account.
"I have had stress fractures in both of my legs. I've had two meniscus repairs. I've had two surgeries on my right tibia and one surgery on my left tibia," Thompson said in the video posted on his Instagram. "And it's been a journey, man, and I wasn't forced to stop, but I did do a lot of soul searching and a lot of just realization where I'm at in my life and what I want to do in the career I want to make for myself in the next few years."
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Thompson originally committed to Ball State while at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis before instead attending Fork Union Military Academy prep school in Virginia, then signing with Marshall.
While at Marshall, Thompson's younger brother Cade got a bone cancer in his leg. Thompson transferred to Purdue to be closer to family after 33 receptions and 562 yards in just 11 games over two seasons with the Thundering Herd.
Thompson wore No. 29 at Purdue for the 29 chemotherapy treatments his brother went through.
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At Purdue, Thompson endured numerous injuries, playing in 14 career games. He played in two games last season and had three catches for 28 yards before a knee injury. Thompson was out for Purdue's 2023 spring camp, its first under new head coach Ryan Walters.
However, despite setbacks, Thompson's place in Boilermaker lore is secure.
Those seven catches, 217 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 2021 Music City Bowl earned Thompson the game's Most Valuable Player award. His 217 receiving yards are a bowl game record by a Purdue Boilermaker.
Thompson had 33 catches for 485 yards and four touchdowns while playing for Purdue and 66 receptions for 1,047 yards in four combined seasons at Marshall and Purdue. He would've been a redshirt senior for the upcoming season.
Thompson said in his Instagram post he hopes to have a future in coaching.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Purdue football's Broc Thompson, former Music City Bowl MVP, retires
