By Micah Friez
Published 8:08 pm on December 7, 2024
As former student-athletes, Derek and Alyssa (Stumbaugh) Thompson are well accustomed to an early wake-up call and a late night on the road for the sake of sports.
And even now as Bemidji State University alumni, old habits die hard.
“The more I stay in Bemidji, the more I fall in love with the town and the community and the college,” Derek said. “It’s been awesome to stay involved with Bemidji State.”
The two got caught up in the excitement of Beaver Football’s historic playoff run, so they hopped on a fan bus to Mankato to watch BSU in the Division II national quarterfinals on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Derek, a record-setting men’s basketball player, graduated from Bemidji State in 2022. Alyssa, an All-American goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team, graduated in 2024. Both remain deeply entwined with the college: Alyssa is now a goalkeeper coach for the soccer team, while Derek is BSU’s area representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“Being a Beaver made me a better person, a better Christian, a better student and more equipped for the future,” Alyssa said. “I’m very grateful that God led me to Bemidji State.”
Although the BSU football team lost a heartbreaker – 27-23 to Minnesota State – both Thompsons were grateful for the chance to cheer on their alma mater, including about 20 football players who attend FCA. Their active involvement has given the Thompsons a chance to build ongoing relationships with them and spur on a road trip spanning most of the state.
But it’s also more than that.
“It’s beyond just cheering for them and getting to know them off the field,” Derek said. “It’s the fact that I get to build into them spiritually. And then the way they’re able to rub off on other people, I love seeing that because that’s really what it’s all about. That’s exactly why I do what I do with FCA: to give athletes that platform to share their faith in Jesus.”
Derek said FCA’s numbers have approximately tripled since last school year. Average attendance hovers around 40, though it buoys into the 50s from time to time.
The ministry is an extension of what they’ve already been doing in their everyday lives. The pair is committed to investing in those around them – whether that means a Wednesday night huddle or 10 hours round trip to Mankato.
“When we were athletes, we were ministering to teammates,” Alyssa said. “And now that we’re not athletes, God has called us to continue ministering to them.”
A busload of support
Derek originally hails from Cold Spring, while Alyssa got recruited by the women’s soccer team out of Gillette, Wyo. The two met at a local Bible study in 2021 and tied the knot in town in 2023. They’ve since decided to stick around Bemidji even after their playing days, which provided the perfect opportunity to charter their way to Saturday’s football game.
Alongside fellow alumni, community members, parents, students and BSU staff, the Thompsons hitched a ride on a fan bus that brought them to the front door of Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato.
“I think it’s great that the school cares enough about not just current students, but past students as well,” Alyssa said. “They give us an opportunity to go on the bus, go see the team in Mankato and cheer on the current students.”
“I appreciate the camaraderie it brings to the community, having that fan bus,” Derek added. “And I think it gives the football team more fire behind them, knowing that they have a group of people getting together like that. We have a school that really cares about them and is getting behind them.”
Bemidji State football fans have a reputation of traveling well for road games, but they outdid themselves on Saturday. But out of the hundreds of Beaver supporters, Alyssa was among the select few who could relate to the players competing in the game. In 2022, she was on BSU’s women’s soccer team that won the Central Region championship and also advanced to the national quarterfinal stage.
“We also lost in the Elite Eight, and it hurts as a player to come so close and to have it within your reach,” she said. “But it was an incredible opportunity that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
“I just remember all the support from random people on the street who recognized me and would come up to tell me how they’ve been watching our season and are looking forward to cheering for us in the next round. That’s kind of how it was today. The whole stands were packed, and most of the players probably don’t even know the fans, but it’s people from Bemidji traveling to watch them and support them.”
KEEP READING: