2026 INDUCTEE – GLENN THOMPSON

By David Elwell
The Decatur Daily

Hartselle Tiger legend

Back in the day Sherrill Stadium was the place for high school football in Hartselle.

It was located behind what is now Hartselle Junior High on Sparkman Street.

Just a few years before Sherrill Stadium was replaced by what is now J.P. Cain Stadium,  young Glenn Thompson could be found behind the stands playing cup ball while dreaming of playing for the Tigers of  what was then Morgan County High School.

Thompson’s dream came true when he starred on the football field for the Tigers from 1967-1969. That led to a second dream of playing at Alabama for Paul “Bear” Bryant, which he did for one year, before deciding to devote more time to another dream of getting his law degree.

Thompson is being inducted into the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame on June 20.

“I grew up catching a football,” Thompson said. “There was a group of us who would get together after school and play until dark.

“We had an old Voit football that was worn slick because it had been used so much. It was hard to catch, but I could because I had big hands.”

In 1967, Thompson was a 6-foot-4 sophomore split end for head coach J.P. Cain’s Tigers. This was in a time when most teams were run oriented on offense and shy about passing the football. The size and hands made Thompson an asset that had to be used. He set a school record with 50 catches in his junior season

Bucky Pitts was the head coach for Thompson’s senior season. He moved the receiver from outside to inside at tight end.

“Glenn was as slow as Christmas, but if you threw the ball close to him, he would go up with those big hands and catch it,” said teammate John Pat Orr, who played quarterback.

Thompson caught over 100 passes in three seasons for over 1,500 yards. He earned All-State honors in his senior season.

“When I played football, I felt like I was representing everybody in Hartselle,” Thompson said. “I still get that feeling on Friday nights and it’s been over 50 years since I played.”

The success on the football field completed a link to his father Cline Thompson, who played on Hartselle’s first football team in 1917. The 1920 team claimed a state championship. His father was 51 when Glenn was born in 1952. He passed away when Glenn was 8½ in 1960.

Thompson’s mother, Kathryn, had been a school teacher before opening a private kindergarten/daycare in 1952 that she operated for 40 years.

“I started kindergarten when I was just a few months old and went to kindergarten for five years,” Thompson said. “Some parent  would drop off their kids on their way to work at 6 a.m. More kids would come over for daycare after school got out. Some kids wouldn’t be picked up until 6 p.m.”

One of his mother’s many legacies was being president of a committee that got a marching band started at Morgan County High in 1947.

“After Dad died, it took a real community effort to raise me,” Thompson said. “Bill Evans was my brother-in-law, but he was more like a big brother. He had started filming the high school football games and would take me on the road games when I was 9.”

While Thompson found success on the football field in high school, he was also successful in other areas.  He played basketball on the 1968 Morgan County Tournament championship team. It was the school’s first county championship since 1949.

Thompson also excelled in the classroom. One of his favorite teachers was Dr. William Penn for American History in the 11^th grade.

“We had some great discussions in his class about history, the Constitution and how the law worked,” Thompson said. “I had met some lawyers and had tremendous respect for them because they helped people. I decided that’s what I want to do.”

Thompson remained interested in playing football at Alabama, but the Crimson Tide would only offer him the opportunity to join the team as a walk-on. Texas A&M with Gene Stallings as head coach offered him a scholarship, but the chance to play for Bryant was too much to pass up.

“That was back in the day when freshmen could not play on the varsity,” Thompson said. “We had a five-game freshman schedule. As soon as I got down there the coaches moved me to defensive end.”

Thompson was the only walk-on out of 20 to make the starting lineup. The freshmen class of scholarship players included future stars like Gary Rutledge, Wilbur Jackson and Chuck Strickland who helped the Crimson Tide win a national championship in 1973.

“After I got my grades after that first semester I decided that playing football and getting the grades I needed to get into law school just wouldn’t work,” Thompson said.

Thompson graduated from Alabama in 1974 and received his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham. In 1980 he returned to Morgan County to practice law. He was elected to four terms as a Morgan County Circuit Judge.

Over the years Thompson has become well known for his contributions to many community programs. He’s been a board member of the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame since 1989. He’s the founder and chairman of the Hartselle Scholarship Foundation, which awards scholarships to Hartselle High graduates.

“I love being able to contribute and I’ve done that since high school when I was in the Key Club and Boy Scouts,” Thompson said. “It matters what you do. We’ve raised our kids to find ways to contribute.

“When you serve in government you want to make a difference in people’s lives. That’s the way life ought to be lived.”

Jimmy Yarbrough was a teammate when Thompson played football for the Tigers. He is part of a group of former teammates who nominated Thompson for the Hall of Fame.

“I place Glenn in the same category as J.P. Cain and Dr. Bob Sittason as far as his contributions to Morgan County High, Hartselle High and the Hartselle and Morgan County communities and beyond,” Yarbrough said. “The time and effort he has given back to Hartselle athletics and our community is truly amazing.”

During Thompson’s judgeship he started the Morgan County Drug Court in 2008. It gives individuals facing prison on drug related charges a second chance with an opportunity to enter the drug court program. The success rate has been remarkable with an impact that has saved lives and families.

“As a judge, Glenn often saw the same people over and over with drug addictions who committed crimes to support their addictions,” Yarbrough said. “He has a big heart and wanted to help those individuals break this cycle.”

Rendell Drummond went through the Drug Court program. He credits Thompson for changing his life.

“We have had many judges in Morgan County, but none that have had the impact that “The Judge,” Glenn Thompson has had. That is especially true in my life,” Drummond said. “By giving me one more chance, not only did that impact my life, it has had a generational impact.

“We have witnessed countless men be delivered from a life of darkness and so many families restored, all because Glenn Thompson listened to God’s voice and gave me that second chance.”

One of Thompson’s favorite ways to contribute to the community is to support Hartselle athletic teams. As a lawyer he played a key role in Hartselle being able to purchase land around Sparkman Park to make it home to all its youth baseball and softball leagues.

“Community support is the common thread that jumps out to me when I think of how successful all of the different sports have been at Hartselle over the years,” Thompson said.

Thompson’s longest contribution has been filming Hartselle Tiger football games since 1979. When he returned to Hartselle to open his law practice, Evans put Thompson back to work behind the camera.

Technology has changed the job over the years. In the early days it was two men filming the games and then taking two 400-foot rolls of film to a lab in Decatur to be developed and returned to the coaches, if they were lucky, by around midnight. Now it’s done with video that can give coaches on the sideline instant access. Since 1980, Thompson has also been in charge of the sideline communication system for the coaching staff.

“Friday nights during football season are like when you are hunting quail,” Thompson said. “When the dog points and you know the birds are about to come out of the brush, there’s that moment of excitement because you know what’s about to happen.  If that feeling ever leaves me, it will be time for me to stand down.”

The 2026 season will be Thompson’s 48^th season behind the camera. In the first 47 years, Hartselle has played 582 games. He’s missed just four.

Thompson’s favorite game came in 2011. It was the Class 5A state championship at Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa. Hartselle was a big underdog to a Vigor team out of Mobile that was stacked with college prospects.

The Tigers coached by Bob Godsey rallied for 10 points in the fourth quarter to take the 13-3 victory to give the school its first ever football state championship trophy.

“That was something I had been looking for all my life,” Thompson said. “It was a great team and a tremendous achievement. I hope I can see Hartselle do it again.”