Eric Thole spent two years at NDSU where he played football, he lettered on the 1985 NCAA Division II National Championship team. In 1986, Thole transferred to Macalester College and played on the winningest football team in school history and was also named the top male scholar-athlete in his graduating class. Prior to opening his own law firm, Thole spent the first five years of his career at law firms that represented the Cities of Stillwater and Cottage Grove.