April 3, 2002
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EASTON, Pa. (www.lafayette.edu) - Lafayette's football coaching staff has announced an additional recruit to the list of freshmen set to enroll at the College this fall as members of the Class of 2006, and it is a major addition. Cole Sampson (Midland, Texas/Lee), a San Diego Union-Tribune Scholar-Athlete Award recipient and a starting quarterback at two different high schools the past two seasons, has committed to the Leopards.
With the addition of the 6-4, 220-pound Sampson, the Lafayette football staff has now received the commitment of 34 recruits in the second full-year recruiting effort under Head Coach Frank Tavani.
"He is an excellent addition to what we believe is already a strong recruiting class," Tavani said of Sampson, a principal's honor roll student who boasts a 3.4 grade point average and intends to major in either Biology or Government & Law. "He is a talented quarterback with tremendous potential. We believe he will definitely make an impact on the program."
Sampson is the son of Greg Sampson, an offensive lineman with the National Football League's Houston Oilers for eight seasons. A 1972 graduate of Stanford University, Greg Sampson excelled on the gridiron for the Cardinal as an All-American lineman. He took an immediate liking to Lafayette's campus and its academic focus.
"Lafayette was the first campus we visited that reminded me of Stanford, especially with its high level of commitment to both academics and athletics," Greg Sampson said. "I definitely got the feel of my college days and my own student-athlete emphasis."
Heavily recruited by many Division I-A programs, including Texas and Notre Dame, Cole Sampson started his high school career as a varsity baseball player in Southern California at Tri-City Christian High School. He turned to football as a junior and started two games at quarterback before he and his family moved to Midland, Texas for his senior year. A newcomer to Robert E. Lee High School's three-time Texas state championship program which featured three returning quarterbacks prior to his arrival, Sampson earned the starting spot for eight games his senior season. In a heavily run-oriented offense, he threw for 418 yards and helped lead the squad to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs and an 8-5 record. One of the season highlights was when Sampson directed a dramatic comeback victory in the waning seconds of the legendary Odessa Permian - Lee rivalry.
A three-sport student-athlete in high school, Sampson was a key reserve on Lee,s basketball team that recently advanced to the semifinals of the state playoffs.
Lafayette concluded its 120th season of college football and second under Tavani this past fall. The Leopards held a lead in each Patriot League game this season, losing four contests by 10 points or less. The Leopards, spring practices began yesterday and continue until the Maroon-White Spring Game on Friday, April 26.
