Anthony Thomas (American football) facts for kids
Thomas warms up before a game in 2006
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| No. 28, 32, 35 | |||||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
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| Born: | November 7, 1977 Winnfield, Louisiana, U.S. |
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| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 225 lb (102 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Winnfield (LA) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Michigan | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38 | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
Anthony “A-Train” Thomas (born November 7, 1977) is a former professional football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1997 to 2000. During his time there, he broke the team's career rushing record with 4,472 yards. In his final year, he rushed for 1,733 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was also chosen as a first-team All-Big Ten running back.
Thomas was picked by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. As a rookie in 2001, he rushed for over 1,100 yards and scored seven touchdowns. This earned him the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award. He played for the Bears from 2001 to 2004. Later, he played for the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints in 2005, and the Buffalo Bills from 2006 to 2007.
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Early Life and High School Football
Anthony Thomas was born in Pineville, Louisiana, in 1977. He grew up in Winnfield, Louisiana, and went to Winnfield Senior High School. He was a star athlete in basketball, track, and football.
In football, he ran for an amazing 7,594 yards. He also scored 682 points for the Winnfield Tigers. He set a state record with 106 career touchdowns. He achieved this while playing both running back and placekicker. Experts rated him as one of the best running backs in the country.
College Football Career
Thomas started playing for the University of Michigan in 1997. While there, he got the famous nickname "A-Train."
Winning a National Championship
As a freshman, he was part of the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team. This team won the national championship! He was the second-best running back on the team that year. He rushed for over 100 yards in two games. Overall, he gained 549 rushing yards and 219 receiving yards. He was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 1997.
Setting Rushing Records
After his first year, Thomas led the Wolverines in rushing for three years in a row. He gained 893 yards in 1998, 1,297 yards in 1999, and 1,733 yards in 2000. His 1,733 rushing yards in 2000 is still one of the highest single-season totals in Michigan history.
In 2000, Thomas rushed for over 100 yards in nine different games. He even had 228 yards against Illinois! He was chosen as a second-team All-Big Ten player in 1999. In 2000, he was named a first-team All-Big Ten player. He was also a team captain and the most valuable player for the 2000 Michigan team.
Thomas's total of 4,472 rushing yards broke Michigan's career rushing record at the time. He also broke the modern Michigan record for touchdowns with 56. He still holds Michigan records for most rushing yards per game in a season (144.4 in 2000). He also holds the record for six games in a season with at least 150 rushing yards.
Professional NFL Career
In April 2001, the Chicago Bears picked Anthony Thomas in the NFL draft. He was the 38th player chosen overall.
Chicago Bears (2001-2004)
On October 21, 2001, Thomas set two Bears rookie records. He rushed for 188 yards and averaged 8.55 yards per carry against the Cincinnati Bengals. In the last game of the season, he set another rookie record with 33 carries. He gained 160 yards and scored a touchdown in that game. With 1,183 rushing yards in the 2001 season, Thomas helped the Bears win their division. In January 2002, he won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
Thomas continued to be the Bears' main running back for two more years. He rushed for 721 yards in 2002 and 1,024 yards in 2003. In 2004, another player, Thomas Jones, became the lead running back. Thomas rushed for 404 yards that year.
Later NFL Teams (2005-2007)
In May 2005, Thomas signed with the Dallas Cowboys. He played in six games for them, starting two. He gained 80 yards. The Cowboys released him in November 2005.
He then quickly signed with the New Orleans Saints. He played in four games for the Saints, gaining 12 yards.
On April 28, 2006, Thomas joined the Buffalo Bills. In 2006, he played in all 16 games, starting two. He gained 378 yards. The next year, he played in 10 games and gained 89 yards. He was placed on injured reserve in December 2007, ending his playing career.
Coaching Career and Hall of Fame
In 2011, Anthony Thomas became a coach at West Virginia Wesleyan College. He coached the running backs. In 2012, he was promoted to special teams coordinator and assistant head coach.
In 2015, Anthony Thomas was chosen to be part of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame. This is a great honor for athletes from Louisiana.
See also
- Michigan Wolverines football statistical leaders
