Editor’s note: Veteran entrepreneur and investor Donald Thompson writes a weekly column about management and leadership as well as diversity and other important issues for WRAL TechWire. His columns are published on Wednesdays.
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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Aaron Thompson was known around Bogalusa, Louisiana, by many names: Deacon, Reverend, Doctor, and even “Cheeta,” the latter a relic from the days when he starred as a running back at Southern University. Number 47 was so fast and elusive that they purposely dropped the “h” from his nickname!
In his small hometown – a racially-charged papermill-run town – Cheeta had led the high school team to two state high school football championships in the mid-1940s. The winning continued at Southern when he paired with tailback Odie Posey, known as “The San Antonio Express.”
With Cheeta and Posey carrying the ball, their teams won three National Black Championships titles, including the 1948 Fruit Bowl over San Francisco State, the first interracial bowl game played in America. Two great running backs, multiple national championships, cool nicknames – you think you know where this story is headed – NFL stardom, fame, and glory.
Think again.
Although both running backs would get what we call today “a cup of coffee” in the NFL (Cheeta with the San Francisco 49ers and the Express with the Los Angeles Rams), neither was really given much of a shot. The NFL had only integrated in 1946, and it was a slow process toward equity. According to NFL historians, in 1959, more than a decade after allowing Black players in, only 12 percent of the players in the league were African American.
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Even though the two Southern stars were not given a fair shake in pro football, they each had long, highly successful lives off the field. Each was inducted into the Southern University Sports Hall of Fame.
And, while Aaron Thompson was known by all those interesting nicknames, the one I had for him was special: “Big Daddy.” You see, Aaron Thompson was my grandfather. My family and I spent part of each summer visiting Big Daddy and my grandmother Etta Mae, who we called “Granny.”
As you can imagine, Big Daddy was larger than life. He had a huge heart, but lived a disciplined life. He also expected the same from his five sons: no drinking, no partying, home by 10 p.m., earning good grades and holding yourself accountable for your actions. These were his rules, and they were later adopted by my father Donald (although he did push curfew to midnight when I was in high school).
At least once a year, my family went back to Bogalusa to visit Big Daddy, Granny, and all our relatives. The trip was a big deal, a 20-hour drive during the summer, when my dad could take several weeks off from his job as a college football coach.
We’d spend a week or so with Big Daddy and Granny then another week with my mom’s parents “Granny” and “Pop Fred.” The whole family loved having us home. We were like celebrities. I played with my cousins, worked in the garden with Granny, and helped Big Daddy set up for his 6 a.m. Bible study classes. My memories of those trips are filled with love, but also the rotten egg smell of the paper mill, always heavy in the humid air.
The stories my parents had told me about Bogalusa came to life on these visits. There were stark differences between this small, Southern milltown and where I grew up – a series of bucolic Northern college towns. Bogalusa had fewer trees and no sidewalks. The houses were smaller, many with bars on the windows. There were broken-down cars sitting on blocks in at least half of the front yards. This was my family’s home though, and I enjoyed exploring our roots.
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BIG DADDY’S LESSONS
Big Daddy didn’t live in a mansion, but his little house and yard were always well tended. He took pride in what he owned and accomplished. He was also proud of Bogalusa. I remember driving around town with him, looking out the window on rural Louisiana and watching the town roll by.
Big Daddy often preached about people overcoming their circumstances. On that specific day, his sermon had retold the David and Goliath story. I’d sat on the hard, wooden pew, listening in awe as Big Daddy explained that no matter what your circumstances were, if God was for you, then nobody could be against you. If you had faith and courage like David, you could slay a giant. His words inspired me.
It’s strange to think that a story from so long ago can stay with a person their whole life. Yet I have been motivated by Big Daddy’s sermon at many different points in my journey toward success. They made me want to prove myself as a giant-slayer.
I learned a different lesson when I purposely disobeyed Big Daddy by venturing into a neighborhood that had been plagued with drug abuse and crime. Earlier in the summer, he had told me to stay away from that area. However, my curiosity got the best of me, and I set off on my bicycle for that neighborhood. I didn’t really understand where I was going or the predicament I had put myself in.
As I turned the corner and Big Daddy’s house came into view, I saw him standing in the driveway with his arms crossed. Although it had been years since he’d left football, he still hadn’t lost his running back physique. He was a very big man. I gulped a little and slowed my pace.
As I rode up the driveway, his eyes narrowed. I stopped and got off. “Where have you been?” he asked.
I looked at my feet and kicked some pebbles. “Nowhere.”
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He stepped forward and took the bike from my grip. He lifted it with one hand and held my wrist with the other. “Don’t lie.”
Big Daddy knew exactly where I’d been. Big Daddy knew everything. I bit my lip and shrugged. I couldn’t find the words to explain why I’d done it, so I said nothing.
He walked, bike and wrist still in hand, toward the garage. He put my bike back and turned to me, then picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder. He marched into the house and brought me into the little sitting room off the hallway.
Then, without another word, he spanked me, wearing me out until my backside was sore enough that I’d think twice about getting on my bike even just to go down the driveway, never mind across town. When he finished, he didn’t let me go. Instead, he tucked me tightly between his knees and stared directly into my eyes.
“Do you understand why I’m disappointed?”
Through heavy sobs, I gulped, “Yes, sir.”
“Tell me.”
“Because I wasn’t supposed to go over there, and I did.”
“No.” he paused. “That’s not why.”
I looked up, confused.
Big Daddy grabbed my arms and held them tightly. “Your mama and daddy got out of this environment to make a better life for you. You can’t get caught up in the stuff that goes on in those neighborhoods. You can’t put yourself in situations where you’ll get hurt and derailed.”
My eyes widened. I could tell that what he was saying was important, even though it would be years before I understood the full weight of his words.
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I wiped my nose with my T-shirt and squeaked out, “Okay.”
Then, he leaned forward. “I mean it. God has a plan for your life and it’s not in those streets. You’re on a special path. You’re going to be the first millionaire in our family.”
For many decades I used Big Daddy’s words as motivation, even during the most challenging times when my future – honestly – looked bleak. Yet, as a Black leader, I knew I would have to face the obstacles inherent in contemporary American society. Often, the odds were stacked against me and I was underestimated. That word – “underestimated” – came to define how I refused to let others determine my path. Trusting in my own grit, determination, and drive, I forged a different path with Big Daddy’s words ringing in my ears.
Even now, some 870 miles from Bogalusa, I feel its weight on my family’s history and my own. Adhering to Big Daddy’s advice, I learned to overcome whatever obstacles were placed in my path, while having the courage to pursue my dreams. And, I haven’t given up the chase.
Discover more life lessons and leadership advice from Donald Thompson in Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, available in bookstores nationwide.
About the Author
Donald Thompson is CEO and co-founder of The Diversity Movement. His leadership memoir, Underestimated: A CEO’s Unlikely Path to Success, is available wherever books are sold. He has extensive experience as an executive leader and board member, including digital marketing agency WalkWest. Donald is a thought leader on goal achievement, culture change and driving exponential growth. An entrepreneur, keynote speaker, author, Certified Diversity Executive (CDE) and executive coach, he also serves as a board member for organizations in marketing, healthcare, banking, technology and sports. Donald is the host of the “High Octane Leadership” podcast. The Diversity Movement has created an employee-experience product suite that personalizes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) through data, technology, and expert-curated content. The microlearning platform, “Microvideos by The Diversity Movement,” was recently named one of Fast Company’s “2022 World Changing Ideas.” DEI Navigator is a “chief diversity officer in a box” subscription service that provides small- and mid-sized businesses with the tools, advising and content that leads to action and results. Connect or follow him on Linkedin to learn more.
