by Duane Cochran for FightingFalcons.com

Chris Thompson, above all, is a survivor.

An individual who, when faced with tough choices, has managed to make most of the right ones.

And it's those choices and decisions which define him and at the end of the day allow him to take solace in his multi-faceted life – Chris Thompson the fifth-year Fairmont State University student, Chris Thompson the college basketball player, Chris Thompson the promising rap artist and Chris Thompson the knife stabbing victim and survivor.

“I grew up with and hung out with people who were doing stuff I knew wasn't right,” said Thompson, a senior forward from Frederick, Md.. “You face some tough choices as a kid growing up in a bigger city. One of the good things for me is that even though some of these people may have been doing things which weren't right they really didn't do it around me because they knew I was going to school and knew I had the potential to get out so to speak.

“I had a couple of close friends, who I'm still friends with today, who sat down with me and told me 'You're the one who's going to make it out of here. You're the one who has the potential to do something.' I've always held that in high regard. I've never forgotten that. To this day I talk to those guys all of the time. They'll call me before a game or I'll call them after a game. They believed in me and made me believe in myself.”

But Thompson nearly didn't get the chance to make it off the streets of Frederick. On July 4, 2006, the summer before his senior year in high school, Thompson headed to a local playground to gather with friends. It was a place he had frequented countless times during his youth. However, instead of the normal fun experienced by most on this national holiday, Thompson endured fireworks of a different kind which nearly ended in tragedy.

“The stabbing was kind of traumatic for me,” he admits. “I don't know. We all just came together at that playground and one thing led to another and the next thing I knew I had a knife go in my back and come out of my chest. It collapsed my lung. God, though, was on my side.

“That pretty much was my note right there. It told me 'You're here for a reason' and I knew I couldn't ignore that.”

Thompson, a three-sport standout at Frederick High School, was blessed with God-given athletic talent which provided him with opportunities. Division I schools wanted his services as a wide receiver on the football field, while Division II schools looked at him for basketball.

When everyone thought he would head off to college to play football he shocked them by signing with Fairmont State to play basketball.

“I grew up playing both spots and was known around my city for doing both, but I always had people telling me 'You better just stick to football. That's your ticket. That's where you can make it,'” said Thompson. “I've always been one, though, to prove people wrong. I've had to overcome adversity and I enjoy the challenge of doing that.

“I love basketball. I love football too. They're kind of equal in my mind. When I came here I was going to do both, but I'm closer with the guys on the basketball team. That's my family and at the end of the day if they're going to play basketball, I'm going to play basketball.”

In the spring of 2010 at the urging of several people Thompson decided to walk on to FSU's football team. In the beginning Thompson appeared somewhat lost and unsure of himself, but as the drills progressed he began showing signs of why he was a sought-after Division I recruit. He ended the drills with four receptions for 65 yards in Fairmont's annual Maroon-White Spring Game and drew praise from former FSU and Canadian Football League coach Dave Ritchie. However, after the spring game Thompson opted to hang up his football gear for good and return to the basketball court.

“You know when you sit out of something for so long and you try to come back you're not sure if you still have the love for it or not,” said Thompson. “Don't get me wrong, I love the game of football, but almost the whole time I was out there I was thinking about basketball. It was going into my junior year and I really wanted to hang a basketball banner here. It was my time to play and I just wanted to concentrate on that.”

Thompson's career on the hardwood at FSU has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. He's gone from starter to being buried on the Falcons' bench and back to starting. This season he's started every game for Fairmont State – a career high 16 and he's averaging 8.4 points and 5.2 rebounds against much taller and bigger players he faces on a regular basis in the paint.

“Chris is a guy who works hard every day and never gives up,” said fellow FSU senior Steve Custis, who is also Thompson's cousin and played with him at Frederick High School. “He's been in the doghouse here a few times during his career, but always manages to work his way out of it. He loves this team and he'll do anything for it.

“He's a strong guy and even though most every night he's going against a lot bigger guys he doesn't back down. He competes every game and I respect him for that.

“You know I've known him for most of my life and he's been through a lot. He's really a good guy who has matured a lot since he's been here.”

Off the court Thompson has a love for rap and hip-hop music. However, he's taken it a step further. He's a member of a group called BME (Bucks Musik Entertainment) back in his hometown of Frederick and they've released some songs.

“He's pretty good,” said Custis with a chuckle. “He writes stuff and has a group back home called BME and they have some songs out. He likes that and he's good at it.”

In May Thompson will graduate from FSU with a degree in criminal justice. He says in the future he'd like to work with underprivileged children or children from broken homes and teach them that there's a way to succeed in life.

“I'd really like to teach kids that there's a better way than just going to the streets,” said Thompson. “Where I'm from it's streets first. That's what they're learning now and it doesn't have to be that way.

“I'd like to be a role model and I think kids can learn from me and relate to me because I've been there and been through stuff. I think they're more likely to listen to me because I can relate to and identify with what they're going through in their lives. I'd just like to make a positive impact on them because I think I'm proof that there is a better way.”