Anthony Thomas (American football)
Encyclopedia
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
. 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.
, 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-America
n and rated as the second-best running back in the country by the Prep Football Report.
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:
Thomas also ranks second in school history in rushing yards in a single season with 1,733 yards in 2000:
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
.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
coach and former player. He is currently the running backs coach at at West Virginia Wesleyan College
West Virginia Wesleyan College
West Virginia Wesleyan College is a regionally accredited private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Buckhannon, West Virginia, United States. It has an enrollment of about 1,400 students from 35 U.S. states and 26 countries. The school was founded in 1890 by the West Virginia Conference of...
. Thomas was drafted by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Michigan
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
, 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
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in his career.
High school career
At Winnfield Senior High School, Thomas starred on the basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, track, and football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
teams. He set a state record with 106 career touchdowns while playing both running back and placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
. He was named a first-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n 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 footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. As a freshman in 1997, he contributed to the Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
' 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:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Touchdowns | Long | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Hart | 1015 | 5040 | 5.0 | 41 | 64 | 2004 | 2007 |
| 2 | Anthony Thomas | 924 | 4472 | 4.8 | 55 | 80 | 1997 | 2000 |
| 3 | Jamie Morris Jamie Morris James Walter "Jamie" Morris is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and a record-setting running back in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines... |
806 | 4392 | 5.5 | 25 | 68 | 1984 | 1987 |
| 4 | Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Wheatley Tyrone Anthony Wheatley is the running backs coach at Syracuse University and a former professional American football player who played 10 seasons in the National Football League and was one of the most successful high school and collegiate athletes in Metropolitan Detroit history... |
688 | 4178 | 6.1 | 47 | 88 | 1991 | 1994 |
| 5 | Butch Woolfolk Butch Woolfolk Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk is a former American football running back and kick returner who played in college for the University of Michigan and in the National Football League for the New York Giants , Houston Oilers and Detroit Lions . Woolfolk attended Westfield Senior High School in... |
717 | 3850 | 5.4 | 29 | 92 | 1978 | 1981 |
Thomas also ranks second in school history in rushing yards in a single season with 1,733 yards in 2000:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Biakabutuka Tim Biakabutuka Tshimanga "Tim" Biakabutuka is a former American football running back for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL from 1996 to 2001.-College career at Michigan:... |
303 | 1818 | 6.0 | 1995 |
| 2 | Anthony Thomas | 319 | 1733 | 5.4 | 2000 |
| 3 | Jamie Morris Jamie Morris James Walter "Jamie" Morris is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins and a record-setting running back in college for the University of Michigan Wolverines... |
282 | 1703 | 6.0 | 1987 |
| 4 | Chris Perry | 338 | 1674 | 5.0 | 2003 |
| 5 | Mike Hart | 318 | 1562 | 4.9 | 2006 |
Professional career
Thomas was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round (38th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft
2001 NFL Draft
The 2001 NFL Draft took place on April 21–22, 2001 at the theater at Madison Square Garden, in New York City. This was the 66th National Football League draft in league history. The draft was broadcast on ESPN both days and eventually moved to ESPN2. No teams elected to claim any players in the...
by the Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, and he reached 1,183 rushing yards and the NFL Rookie of the Year Award
NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Since 1967, the Associated Press has given two annual Rookie of the Year Awards to National Football League players: one for an offensive player and one for a defensive player. These two are often regarded as the "official" awards...
. With the emergence of Thomas Jones in Chicago, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in 2005 as the backup running back to Julius Jones
Julius Jones
Julius Andre Maurice Jones is an American football running back who played college football at the University of Notre Dame and is currently a member of the Free Agent Class of the National Football League. Before signing with the Saints on October 12, 2010, Julius had stints with the Dallas...
. Thomas' ineffectiveness in limited duty, his inability to play special teams, and the emergence of Marion Barber III
Marion Barber III
Marion Sylvester Barber III is an American football running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Minnesota....
as the primary backup led Dallas to release him in November 2005. He was quickly signed by New Orleans after they lost Deuce McAllister
Deuce McAllister
Dulymus Jenod "Deuce" McAllister is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft...
with a season ending knee injury, and split rushing duties with Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker
Aaron Stecker is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 1999. He played college football at Western Illinois....
. On April 28, 2006, Thomas signed with the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
See also
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football rushing leaders
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders