Jack Thompson (born May 18, 1956) is a former professional football player, a quarterback in the National Football League. Known as "The Throwin' Samoan," a nickname bestowed on him by Spokesman-Review columnist Harry Missildine during Thompson's breakout sophomore season at Washington State University in 1976, he was a first-round draft choice of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1979 and played for Cincinnati from 1979-82. Considered by ESPN to be a bust of a draft pick[citation needed] (#26 worst[citation needed] - fellow WSU grad Ryan Leaf is considered #1[citation needed]), he went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1983 and became the team's starting quarterback, but was replaced the following year by Steve DeBerg.