Anthony Thomas

Anthony Thomas

Thomas (#28) with Shaud Williams (#36)
No. --     Free Agent
Running back
Personal information
Date of birth: (1977-11-07) November 7, 1977 (age 34)
Place of birth: Winnfield, Louisiana
Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Weight: 221 lb (100 kg)
Career information
College: Michigan
NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38
Debuted in 2001 for the Chicago Bears
Career history
Chicago Bears (2001-2004) Dallas Cowboys (2005) New Orleans Saints (2005) Buffalo Bills (2006-2007)
Career highlights and awards
2x Citrus Bowl MVP (1999, 2001) AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year (2001) PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year (2001)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2007
Rushing yards 3,891 Rushing average 3.7 Rushing TDs 23 Stats at NFL.com

Anthony Jermaine Thomas (born November 7, 1977) is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach at at West Virginia Wesleyan College.^[1] Thomas was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan, where he gained the nickname "A-Train" due to his power-running style.

As a rookie with the Bears in 2001, Thomas rushed for over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns to earn the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He has also played for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills in his career.

High school career

At Winnfield Senior High School, Thomas starred on the basketball, track, and football teams. He set a state record with 106 career touchdowns while playing both running back and placekicker. He was named a first-team All-American and rated as the second-best running back in the country by the Prep Football Report.

College career

Before entering the professional ranks, Thomas played college football at University of Michigan. As a freshman in 1997, he contributed to the Wolverines' 12-0 national championship season. In his stellar collegiate career (1997–2000), Thomas set school records for rushing yards (4,472) and touchdowns (56). His record for rushing yards was broken seven years later by Mike Hart, as shown in the following chart:

^[2]

Thomas also ranks second in school history in rushing yards in a single season with 1,733 yards in 2000:

^[2]

Professional career

Thomas was drafted in the second round (38th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, and he reached 1,183 rushing yards and the NFL Rookie of the Year Award. With the emergence of Thomas Jones in Chicago, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 as the backup running back to Julius Jones. Thomas' ineffectiveness in limited duty, his inability to play special teams, and the emergence of Marion Barber III as the primary backup led Dallas to release him in November 2005. He was quickly signed by New Orleans after they lost Deuce McAllister with a season ending knee injury, and split rushing duties with Aaron Stecker. On April 28, 2006, Thomas signed with the Buffalo Bills.

See also

• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football rushing leaders
• Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders

References

External links

• Anthony Thomas gets second chance with the Saints (wwltv.com)