Editor’s Note: This article first appeared as part of the October 8 Double Coverage flipbook.

Almost 33 years to the day, a quarterback with the letters spelling out “Thompson” embroidered on the back of a jersey took the field at the Cotton Bowl. But he wore a crimson red helmet, not a burnt orange and white one.

Charles Thompson, the father of Texas starting quarterback Casey Thompson, played under center for the Oklahoma Sooners for two seasons in 1987 and 1988. A Lawton, Oklahoma product, Thompson packed his bags and headed to Norman to sport the crimson red as a Sooner.

Thirty years later, his youngest son would too pack up his bags and ship off for the world of college football. But instead of heading 30 minutes down the road from Oklahoma City to Norman, Casey would cross the Red River into enemy territory and become a Texas Longhorn. The older Thompson son, Kendal, followed in his father’s footsteps to Norman to also become an Oklahoma quarterback from 2011 to 2013.

When Casey committed to the Longhorns in December 2017, his father was nothing but supportive of his son’s decision.

“My heart will always bleed crimson,” Charles said. “I’m very proud of that … but I’m going to support my son. I’m excited for him. We think it’s a great fit.”

As a new recruit in the fall of 2017, Casey attended the Longhorns’ 24-29 loss to the Sooners at Red River. Casey remembers that game as the first matchup he attended where his loyalty felt foreign, different. The then-high school senior attended as a visitor for a recruiting trip and remembers sitting on the Texas side, seeing now-NFL quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Sam Ehlinger duel it out. Casey has been burnt orange ever since.

“I never really grew up hating Texas,” Casey said. “The horns down symbol was something that just was a hand symbol. Even now that I’m at Texas, I wouldn’t say that I hate OU. At the end of the day, I’m a competitor and I want to win, and I also want to start.”

After joining the Longhorns in 2018, Casey finally got the nod for the starting quarterback position in Week 3 against Rice. Since then, the Oklahoma City product has accumulated an impressive record in just three games, all of which were Big 12 conference matchups. The junior is 54-of-76 for 707 yards and nine touchdowns, 303 yards of which were recorded against Texas Tech in the Longhorns’ 70-35 blowout win over the Red Raiders.

Casey, while somewhat similar to his father and brother, is a different quarterback than they were. The Longhorn quarterback is a 6-foot-1-inch, 200-pound dual-threat. Charles stood at 5-foot-10-inches and 175 pounds, and took on the personality of a modern day running back. In his first season with the Sooners, Charles rushed for 731 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. In his second season at the helm, he recorded 824 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.

“Growing up, I watched I think pretty much all of my dad’s games that he started in,” Casey said. “And then sometimes, when I get bored in the offseason, I’ll just turn on a full game and watch him from start to finish.”

On Oct. 8, 1988, Charles Thompson took the field of the Cotton Bowl as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback. Charles led the Sooners to a team total of 401 offensive yards, and the quarterback found his way into the endzone on an 8-yard run to solidify Oklahoma’s 28-13 win over Texas.

The Red River Showdown is a tale as old as time. Charles knew what was at stake to the 75,587 fans in attendance for one of the country’s biggest college football rivalries. In front of approximately 92,100 fans come Saturday, Casey, too, knows what this rivalry means.

“My dad was able to start in (the) Red River Rivalry whenever he was playing quarterback,” Casey said. “He got to play in multiple (games) and he obviously enjoyed it. And it was a dream come true for him … it’ll be a dream come true for me.”

The Red River Rivalry is a rivalry for a season, and that is especially true for Kendal and Casey, but more so their father.

“I’ll be Oklahoma until the day I die.”