Chris Thompson became Lebanon Valley College's Interim Head Football Coach in February 2025, while continuing to serve as the program's Quarterbacks Coach. He was the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Dutchmen during the previous four seasons. Thompson was also an Offensive Assistant for LVC in the 2004 campaign.
Thompson is an accomplished football executive and coach with over 20 years of experience, including more than 15 years at the highest levels of professional football. His journey in professional football has included stops in the NFL, XFL, Arena Football League (AFL), National Arena League (NAL), Alliance of American Football (AAF), and Indoor Football League (IFL). Thompson’s first stint at LVC came in 2004 before he embarked on his professional playing and coaching career. Under his current leadership as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach, LVC’s offense has consistently ranked among the top in the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) in each of the last three years. The program has eclipsed 30 or more points 10 times, appeared in the Centennial-MAC Bowl Series twice (LVC’s appearances in 2022 and 2023 mark the program’s first consecutive bowl games since 2008 and 2009), and posted three straight top-four finishes in the MAC.
Thompson has coached 13 All-MAC offensive players since 2022, with multiple athletes earning repeat honors. He has been instrumental in recruiting and helping LVC achieve more than 120 recruits and transfer students in just three years. He has also been instrumental in developing standout talent, including two-time All-MAC quarterback Braden Bohannon. The quarterback graduated as LVC’s all-time leader with more than 7,000 total yards and finished in the top five in scoring and total touchdowns. In 2022, running back Tim Ervey set the school’s single-game rushing record with 271 yards on 25 carries under Thompson’s play-calling, and the offensive line was awarded the D3football.com Team of the Week. In 2021, LVC started a true first-year quarterback and defeated Franklin & Marshall College at home for the first time in 40 years.
LVC’s offensive rushing attack ranked second in the MAC in each of the past four seasons, improving from 165.1 yards per game in 2021 to over 175 yards per game in 2024. In 2023, the team finished second in the conference in scoring offense with 27.9 points per game and fourth in total offense with 316.3 yards per game. This offensive production helped guide LVC to its first winning season in a decade. Against MAC opponents in 2024, the squad also finished fourth in the conference in total offense with 359.6 yards per game and fifth in scoring offense with 24.8 points per game. The team’s average in total offense marks the highest during Thompson’s tenure as the Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach.
Beyond the field, Thompson serves as LVC’s Football Camp Director, Fundraising Coordinator, and Academic Coordinator. In 2024, he guided the program to a conference-high 62 MAC Academic Honor Roll selections while 44 players made the Dean’s List, 19 earned a GPA of 3.7 or higher, eight were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team, and five earned Academic All-MAC honors. Additionally, Evan Kutzler received First Team CSC Academic All-American honors and was chosen as the MAC Football Senior Scholar-Athlete.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic and rejoining LVC in 2021, Thompson built an impressive professional coaching and executive career, amassing over 170 career wins, including 56 as a two-time professional arena football Head Coach and Assistant General Manager. With players recruited from all levels of college football, Thompson appeared in 15 postseasons and won five division championships, three conference championships, and the 2009 American Indoor Football National Championship. He was awarded National Arena League Coach of the Year honors in 2017 and was selected six times as the Head Coach of one of the FCS National Bowl Game teams. As an eight-year professional Head Coach, he helped more than 40 players advance to higher levels of professional football, including the Canadian Football League (CFL), AFL, XFL, and NFL. Additionally, Thompson coached 13 athletes to earn Player of the Year or League MVP honors.
While working in the XFL in the summer of 2019, Thompson was invited to participate in the NFL Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Internship with Head Coach Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears. Even though this was brief, he gained valuable experience working with the tight ends and quarterbacks from the highest level of professional football. He worked all four preseason games and participated in all staff meetings, game plan meetings, and positional meetings. In this decade-plus-long journey in professional football, Chris also held multiple executive roles and coaching positions with the Massachusetts Pirates (IFL), New York Guardians (XFL), Atlanta Legends (AAF), Lehigh Valley Steelhawks (IFL), Philadelphia Soul (AFL), and the Albany Empire (AFL).
Alongside his full-time role at LVC, Coach Thompson is a husband and father of three. He also owns Elite Skills Coaching LLC, where he offers personalized camps, one-day clinics, team coaching consultations, and quarterback training for all ages through small group and private sessions. He serves as a color commentator for high school broadcasts in the local and surrounding areas as well.
Thompson is a 2002 graduate from Bloomsburg University, earning a bachelor’s in Business Management. He was a four-year letter winner in football and a one-year letter winner in baseball. During his senior year as the quarterback, he earned First Team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) honors, Honorable Mention All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) recognition, and the Ronnie Morgan Unsung Hero Award. Thompson also led the Huskies to back-to-back PSAC East Championships, Lambert Cup Championships, and NCAA Division II Playoff appearances, in addition to being the 2000 NCAA Division II National Championship runner-up. He also enjoyed an outstanding high school playing career in football and baseball before graduating from Manheim Central High School. In 2016, he was inducted into the Manheim Central High School Hall of Fame.
