Blue Jays football player Cooper Thompson of Rockwall, Texas, is particularly excited about Saturday’s game against the Eureka Red Devils in Eureka, Illinois. The first-ever Berlin Wall Bowl will be Thompson’s first bowl game and an exceptional way to cap off his four-year tenure as a kicker with the Blue Jays.
Westminster caught up with the security studies major and history minor between classes this week to discuss what the Berlin Wall Bowl means to him and why the game is significant for both colleges.
Read our complete interview, and go Blue Jays (beat the Red Devils)!
When you aren’t playing football, what else are you involved with at WestMO?
I’m grand marshal of the Skulls of Seven and a member of Westminster’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Blue Blazers Investment Committee, the 2026 Hancock Symposium Committee and the College’s Mission, Vision and Values Committee. I’m also head mentor, president of Beta Theta Pi and belong to the Order of Omega, Phi Alpha Theta and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.
How have you benefited from being an NCAA student-athlete at Westminster?
Being a student-athlete has helped me with leadership skills, time management and keeping my body healthy.
Why is Westminster’s connection to Cold War history and the Berlin Wall, including our Breakthrough sculpture dedicated in 1990 by former President Ronald Reagan, important to you?
I think Westminster’s connection to the Berlin Wall makes the unique history feel a lot more personal. As a student here, knowing that Winston Churchill gave his “Iron Curtain” speech on the same campus I walk around every day is wild. Having a piece of the Berlin Wall here makes that history feel real instead of just something you read about in a textbook.
How do students today feel about the history highlighted by the Berlin Wall Bowl?
I believe Westminster’s history matters to my generation, because a lot of the issues from that time, like conflict between major powers, national security and political division, are still issues we deal with today. Being at Westminster has made me appreciate that our campus has a unique place in that history.
How is the Berlin Wall Bowl more than just another football game?
I think the Berlin Wall Bowl is a unique opportunity, because both colleges have a connection to that specific period of history. Westminster has Churchill and the “Iron Curtain” speech, and Eureka is where Ronald Reagan went to college and played football, and they also have a piece of the Berlin Wall. So, there’s a real connection on both sides. As a football player, it’s cool that we can take that history and turn it into something we get to be a part of today.
This season, you’re wrapping up your time with the Blue Jays. What are your plans after graduation?
After college, I hope to become an intelligence officer for the U.S. Coast Guard.
Westminster is confident Thompson’s future is bright. Good luck to all Blue Jays this Saturday!
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
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