Adalius Thomas facts for kids
Thomas at New England Patriots training camp in 2009
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| No. 96 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | August 18, 1977 Equality, Alabama, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 270 lb (122 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Central Coosa (Rockford, Alabama) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Southern Miss | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2000 / Round: 6 / Pick: 186 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
Adalius Donquail Thomas (born July 18, 1977) is a former American football player. He was a talented linebacker for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Adalius played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. He was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2000 NFL draft. He also played for the New England Patriots.
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Growing Up and Sports
Adalius Thomas went to Central Coosa High School in Rockford, Alabama. He was a star in both football and basketball. In his senior year of football, he was named an all-state player. For basketball, he led his team to a State Title. He was also named the Alabama Class 4A Player of the Year.
College Football Star
Adalius Thomas attended the University of Southern Mississippi. He was a key defensive player for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team. He helped lead one of the best defenses in college football. Adalius was named the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year twice. This happened during his junior and senior years.
His team, the Golden Eagles, won three Conference USA championships. These wins were in 1996, 1997, and 1999. They also won two Liberty Bowl games.
Early College Success
In 1996, Adalius was named a Freshman All-American. This honor came from the Sporting News. That year, the Golden Eagles had a great 8–3 record. They also shared the Conference USA title.
In his second year, Southern Miss finished with a 9–3 record. They won another Conference USA Championship. They also had a victory in the Liberty Bowl. Adalius was named to the All-Conference first-team.
Top College Seasons
Adalius had his best season in 1998. He made 71 tackles. He also had 12.5 sacks, which was the most in his conference. He made 20 tackles that stopped opponents from gaining yards. Adalius was named a first-team All-American. He also tied for Defensive Player of the Year.
As a senior, he earned third-team All-American honors. He was again named Defensive Player of the Year. He was also the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the 1999 Liberty Bowl.
Playing Two Sports
Adalius Thomas also played basketball for the Golden Eagles. He was a power forward in the 1995–96 and 1996–97 seasons. This made him the first player in his university's history to play both football and basketball.
Professional Football Career
Adalius Thomas was chosen by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2000 NFL draft. He was the 186th player picked overall.
Time with the Baltimore Ravens
In his first three years, Adalius made 89 tackles. He played in all 16 games in 2001. In 2002, he started 12 games as a defensive end. He even caught two interceptions. He also made 15 tackles on special teams.
In 2003, Adalius was recognized for his great play on special teams. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. That year, he had 34 tackles and 4 sacks. He also forced a fumble.
In 2004, Adalius started all 16 games for the first time. He made 72 tackles and 8 sacks. He also forced 4 fumbles. In 2005, he became the starting outside linebacker. He had 84 tackles and 9 sacks. He also caught two interceptions and forced three fumbles. He returned three turnovers for touchdowns. This made him the NFL leader in non-offensive touchdowns that season.
Adalius earned his second Pro Bowl selection in 2006. He was part of a Ravens defense that was the best in the league. They finished with a 13–3 record. He was named a first-team All-Pro player. He set a career-high with 106 tackles and 11 sacks. He also recovered a fumble and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown. This was his best season as a professional player.
Playing for the New England Patriots
On March 3, 2007, Adalius Thomas signed a 5-year contract with the New England Patriots. It was worth $35 million. Patriots coach Bill Belichick told Adalius that they had paid him a lot of money.
Adalius mostly played as an inside linebacker for the Patriots in 2007. He rotated with other experienced players. The Patriots had an amazing undefeated regular season in 2007. Adalius gave out "humble pie" T-shirts to his teammates. This was to remind them to stay humble after each win.
Later in the season, Adalius started playing outside linebacker. He played in Super Bowl XLII in that position. In that game, he had two sacks and forced a fumble.
Adalius continued to start at outside linebacker for the Patriots in 2008. He led the team with five sacks. However, he got a season-ending arm injury in Week 10. He was then placed on injured reserve.
In 2009, Adalius started the season on the active roster. But he was not allowed to play in a game on October 18. When asked if this motivated him, he said he didn't need such things to get him fired up. He said, "This isn't kindergarten."
Adalius was one of four Patriots players sent home for being late to a meeting. This happened on a snowy Wednesday morning. He told the press he called the team to say he was stuck in traffic. But he was still sent home. He again said that motivation was for kindergartners. He was not allowed to play in that game. However, he started the next game.
Adalius finished the 2009 season with 11 starts in 14 games. He made 34 tackles and three sacks. The Patriots released Adalius on April 26, 2010.
