Arthur William Thoms is a former collegiate and professional American football

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...

 defensive tackle who played nine seasons in the American Football League

American Football League

The American Football League was a major American Professional Football league that operated from 1960 until 1969, when the established National Football League merged with it. The upstart AFL operated in direct competition with the more established NFL throughout its existence...

 and the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

.

Thoms played high school 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....

 at Brick Township High School

Brick Township High School

Brick Township High School is a four-year public high school located in Brick Township, New Jersey, operating as part of the Brick Public Schools...

 in Brick Township, New Jersey

Brick Township, New Jersey

-Transportation:The major county routes that pass through are CR 528, and CR 549 . Two state routes pass through: Route 70 and Route 88...

 and at Wayne High School

Wayne Valley High School

Wayne Valley High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school, one of the two high schools in Wayne, in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Wayne Public Schools...

. From there he spent one year in the Hargrave Military Academy

Hargrave Military Academy

Hargrave Military Academy is a private American boarding school located in the town of Chatham, Virginia.Hargrave is a school affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia emphasizing Christian values that focuses on a college and military preparatory program...

, which is where Syracuse Football found him and offered him a full scholarship.

Thoms was taken in the 1969 Common Draft

Common Draft

The Common Draft was the name given to the selection of college football players in a combined draft from 1967 to 1969 by the American Football League and the National Football League . This took place after the AFL-NFL merger agreement in 1966....

 by the American Football League's Oakland Raiders

Oakland Raiders

The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. He played one year for the AFL's Raiders, then seven for them in the NFL, and one year with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

.

Member of the Oakland Raiders Super XI Team in 1976.

In 2002 he was inducted into the All-Millenuim Team at Syracuse.