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Margaret Thatcher's grandson is rising star of American football
The Daily Mail (U.K.) ^ | December 23, 2007 | TOM KELLY

Posted on 12/23/2007 1:56:41 PM PST by Stoat

Margaret Thatcher's grandson is rising star of American football

By TOM KELLY - More by this author » Last updated at 20:32pm on 23rd December 2007

 

Michael Thatcher

High school hero: Michael Thatcher

 

She was known as the Iron Lady and now her teenage grandson is a rising star of gridiron.

Michael Thatcher is continuing to foster Baroness Thatcher's special relationship with the U.S. - by helping his high school American football team into the Texas state finals.

The 18-year-old took a brilliant diving catch from a looping 48-yard pass in front of 10,000 fans last week.

The dramatic moment was broadcast live on TV and one excited commentator exclaimed: "Wow! Can the guy run, can he catch, can he do everything?"

Margaret Thatcher, then Prime Minister, announced Michael's birth in 1989 by declaring outside 10 Downing Street: "We have become a grandmother."

The son of Sir Mark Thatcher and Diane Burgdorf, the Texan-born daughter of a wealthy U.S. car dealer, he spent most of his childhood in South Africa where he enjoyed cricket and hockey.

He started playing American football - which is nicknamed gridiron - three years ago when he moved to Dallas with his mother after his father was charged in South Africa with supporting a bungled coup in Equatorial Guinea.

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Michael Thatcher with Margaret

Debut: Baby Michael with his parent and grandmother

He admitted to being in "a state of shock" about his catch.

"I'm the kind of guy who gets pretty nervous coming out," he said.

"But as soon as we start running the ball, I'll come into a rhythm and I'm sure the rest of the team is the same way."

Randy Allen, coach of the Scots, the Highland Park high school team in Dallas, praised the teenager's "hard work, dedication and discipline".

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Michael Thatcher

In action: Michael shows off his skill on the pitch

 

At 6ft 1in and weighing 170lb, Michael is still a little small for his position of running back, but is training to increase his size.

Mr Allen said: "He could be one of the best running backs in the state."

Although Lady Thatcher, 82, appears to have little interest in sport, her late husband, Denis, was a rugby referee and a keen golfer. Michael's parents divorced after nearly 20 years of marriage in April.

His father is only able to see Michael and his 14-year-old sister, Amanda, when they travel abroad because U.S. immigration authorities barred him from entering the country after he pleaded guilty over his role in the Equatorial Guinea affair.

He was fined £265,000 and given a four-year suspended prison sentence.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: brianthatcher; britain; dallas; england; football; greatbritain; margaretthatcher; texas; thatcher; uk; unitedkingdom
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See also:

Margaret Thacher's grandson becoming American Football star - Telegraph

Margaret Thacher's grandson becoming American Football star


By Kate Devlin
 
Last Updated: 4:05pm GMT 23/12/2007
 

 

His birth famously prompted her to declare "we have become a grandmother".

 
Mark Thatcher with the ball for his Highland Park high school team
Mark Thatcher with the ball for his Highland Park high school team

Eighteen years on Margaret Thatcher's grandson is now prompting devotion in fans of American football as he becomes a rising star of the game.

Michael Thatcher, whose father Sir Mark Thatcher separated from his mother after being accused of planning a coup in Equatorial Ginuea, has helped carry his high school team to the finals of the state championships with a extraordinary catch during the quarter final play offs.

Michael, who has lived with his American born mother, Diane Burgdorf, in Dallas, Texas, since 2004, was praised by seasoned commentators for his sensational catch.

In front of a 10,000 strong crowd he hurtled towards the ball, caught it with his fingertips before rolling over and lifting the ball triumphantly in the air.

Such was the unexpected brilliance of the catch that it caused one commentator to exclaim: "Can the guy run, can he catch, can he do everything? Wow!"

His skill at the all American game is even more impressive given that he only took it up three years ago.

Growing up in South Africa he played mostly cricket and hockey. "My dad was really excited to get me playing cricket and field hockey," Michael said after the game, praising his father's influence. "He was a great cricket player when he was my age."

Randy Allen, coach of the Scots, the Highland Park high school team in Dallas, recalled when Michael started at the school he still had a South African accent.

"He was so small and didn't understand [American] football at all," said Allen. "He thought about quitting, but he stuck at it."

Now 6ft 1in and weighing in at just over 12 stone, Michael is still considered thin to be a running back, his position on the team.

But he is working on it. "(Michael's) is a story about hard work, dedication and discipline," Allen said.

"He lifts weights and practices catching the ball with the quarterback.

"I'm not sure what Michael's future will be, but he could be one of the best running backs in the state."

He too praised the catch. "It was a spectacular catch. I have never seen anything like it," he said. Michael himself was modest.

"I'm not known for my hands. I'm in a state of shock, to be honest," he told The Dallas Morning News last week. "I'm the kind of guy who gets pretty nervous coming out. But as soon as we start running the ball, I'll come into a rhythm and I'm sure the rest of the team is the same way."

Just rejoice! Michael Thatcher is a football hero - Times Online


1 posted on 12/23/2007 1:56:45 PM PST by Stoat
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To: Stoat

American football is nicknamed gridiron? By whom?


2 posted on 12/23/2007 2:00:51 PM PST by doug from upland (Stopping Hillary should be a FreeRepublic Manhattan Project)
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To: Stoat
“It’s very difficult because he cannot get a visa to go to the US, so he can only see his children when they travel,” said a friend.

Well, if he REALLY wanted to see his son play, he'd just come up through Mexico and enter the US that way. No visa required, and the immigration folks wouldn't think twice about it.

3 posted on 12/23/2007 2:01:08 PM PST by ClearCase_guy (The broken wall, the burning roof and tower. And Agamemnon dead.)
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To: Stoat

Cool!


4 posted on 12/23/2007 2:02:34 PM PST by lesser_satan (READ MY LIPS: NO NEW RINOS | FRED THOMPSON - DUNCAN HUNTER '08)
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To: Stoat

Cool. All of my cousins went to Highland Park High. Last year’s 4A state champs. I know they were in the title game this year also.


5 posted on 12/23/2007 2:03:12 PM PST by neodad (USS Wabash (AOR 5) The Wabash Cannonball)
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To: Stoat

I wonder what he says to the defender when he takes a solid hit? Oh, vedy nice tackle there old chap! or Bite me, ya wanker!


6 posted on 12/23/2007 2:06:02 PM PST by Into the Vortex
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To: Stoat

Nope. They were runner up this year.

http://www.uil.utexas.edu/athletics/brackets/football/index.html


7 posted on 12/23/2007 2:08:05 PM PST by neodad (USS Wabash (AOR 5) The Wabash Cannonball)
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To: MeekOneGOP; Eaker; Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Ping


8 posted on 12/23/2007 2:08:28 PM PST by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2008: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat

cool!


9 posted on 12/23/2007 2:08:43 PM PST by RDTF (Remember Pearl Harbor)
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To: Stoat

The kid looks just like his granny.


10 posted on 12/23/2007 2:08:55 PM PST by EternalVigilance (For America's Revival - www.AlanKeyes.com)
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To: Stoat

“She was known as the Iron Lady and now her teenage grandson is a rising star of gridiron. “


Incredible, Texas high school football and Margaret Thatcher’s grandson. way cool


11 posted on 12/23/2007 2:09:13 PM PST by ansel12 (Washington:I cannot tell a lie,Clinton:I cannot tell the truth,Romney:I cannot tell the difference)
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To: neodad

Yep, the Lake Travis Cavaliers beat Highland Park 36-34.


12 posted on 12/23/2007 2:15:49 PM PST by twntaipan (To say someone is a liar and a Democrat is to be redundant.)
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To: Stoat
"The 18-year-old took a brilliant diving catch from a looping 48-yard pass....."

______________________________

Only the brits could make a football play sound gay.

13 posted on 12/23/2007 2:16:52 PM PST by wtc911 ("How you gonna get back down that hill?")
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To: Stoat

He is a handsome boy. Hope he makes it in College.

I guess a little off topic but it reminded me of something. I was checking on the internet to see what ever happened to a girl I dated nearly 40 years ago.

I found a picture of her and her family and was surprised to learn her Son was a High School All American in Texas. I have no idea who selected the team. He looked just like her except he looked like a boy of course. I doubt he is playing in college as he only weighed 160lbs.


14 posted on 12/23/2007 2:20:15 PM PST by yarddog (`)
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To: wtc911
Damn you! I’ve got a bad, bad cold and you just caused a chartreuse expulsion from my tender nose to my keyboard! This thing needs replaced, no cleaning will ever disinfect it! Happy now?
15 posted on 12/23/2007 2:27:15 PM PST by Into the Vortex
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To: Stoat

” Wow! Can the guy run, can he catch, can he do everything?”

Betcha he can’t jump . ; )


16 posted on 12/23/2007 2:33:23 PM PST by sushiman
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To: Into the Vortex
Damn you! I’ve got a bad, bad cold and you just caused a chartreuse expulsion from my tender nose to my keyboard! This thing needs replaced, no cleaning will ever disinfect it! Happy now?

__________________________________________________________

My work here is done....

17 posted on 12/23/2007 2:38:56 PM PST by wtc911 ("How you gonna get back down that hill?")
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To: Stoat

Niiiiice catch, and I see they were playing in my favorite team’s house.


18 posted on 12/23/2007 2:39:39 PM PST by Theresawithanh (This is my tagline. FRED!!!!!!)
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To: Stoat

I told this story to my puppy I named Maggie Thatcher and she is quite pleased. Her tail is wagging. On the other hand, her brother, Reagan, just growled.


19 posted on 12/23/2007 2:43:37 PM PST by peggybac (Tolerance is the virtue of believing in nothing)
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To: Stoat

Bump


20 posted on 12/23/2007 2:47:42 PM PST by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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