De'Anthony Thomas facts for kids
Thomas with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
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| Position: | Wide receiver Return specialist |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | January 5, 1993 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 176 lb (80 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Crenshaw (Los Angeles) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Oregon | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2014 / Round: 4 / Pick: 124 | ||||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||||
De'Anthony Marquies Thomas (born January 5, 1993) is an American football player. He plays as a wide receiver and return specialist. This means he catches passes and runs back kicks or punts. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks. Later, the Kansas City Chiefs picked him in the 2014 NFL Draft. He also played for the Baltimore Ravens.
Contents
Early Life and Nickname
When De'Anthony was 12, he was already a star in Pop Warner Football. He played for the Crenshaw Bears in a league started by famous rapper Snoop Dogg. Snoop Dogg says he gave De'Anthony the nickname "Black Mamba." However, some say another coach first used this name. De'Anthony himself likes to spell it "Black Momba."
College Football Career
De'Anthony Thomas was one of the best high school football players in Los Angeles. Many colleges wanted him to play for them. It was a big surprise when he chose the University of Oregon. This was because Oregon was far from his home, and many expected him to play for USC, which was very close.
He was known as a top defensive player in high school. But he really wanted to play offense in college. So, he secretly visited Oregon and decided to join their fast-paced "blur offense."
Amazing Freshman Year (2011)
De'Anthony had an amazing first year (freshman season) at Oregon in 2011. He played as a running back, wide receiver, and returned kicks and punts. He gained a total of 2,235 all-purpose yards. This means he gained yards by running, catching, and returning the ball. He also scored 18 touchdowns, which was a new record for a freshman at his school.
He was the only college player in 2011 to gain over 400 yards in rushing, receiving, and returns. He won awards, including the CFPA Kickoff Returner Trophy. He was also named a freshman All-American.
In the 2012 Rose Bowl game, De'Anthony scored two touchdowns. He gained 314 all-purpose yards. Oregon won the game 45–38. In that game, he had a 91-yard touchdown run, which was the longest run in Rose Bowl history at the time.
Continuing Success (2012)
In 2012, De'Anthony kept being a versatile player for the Ducks. He rushed for 701 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also caught passes for 445 yards and 5 touchdowns. He continued to return kicks and punts. He even returned an opening kickoff for 94 yards in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. Oregon won that game 35–17.
Overall, he gained 1,757 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns that year. He was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine. The magazine called him "Can't Touch DAT" because he was so hard to tackle.
Junior Year and NFL Draft (2013)
In his junior year, De'Anthony was considered for many top awards. He tied his career best with three rushing touchdowns in a game against Virginia. He finished the season with 8 rushing touchdowns and 1 receiving touchdown.
On January 5, 2014, De'Anthony announced he would leave college early. He decided to enter the 2014 NFL Draft.
College Awards and Honors
2011
- Pac-12 Co-Offensive Freshman of the Year
- Team's Most Outstanding Player Award
- All-Pac-12 First-team
- Freshman All-America
2012
- 2nd Team All-America
- Maxwell Award Semifinalist (for College Player of the Year)
2013
- Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week
Professional Football Career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | Wonderlic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 8+5⁄8 in (1.74 m) |
174 lb (79 kg) |
29+7⁄8 in (0.76 m) |
8+1⁄8 in (0.21 m) |
4.39 s | 1.55 s | 2.51 s | 4.23 s | 6.94 s | 32.5 in (0.83 m) |
10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) |
9 reps | 14 |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day | ||||||||||||
Kansas City Chiefs
Starting Strong (2014)
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted De'Anthony Thomas in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. In his first preseason game, he returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs planned for him to play both wide receiver and running back. He was also their main punt returner.
In his first NFL season, he rushed for 113 yards and one touchdown. He also caught 23 passes for 156 yards. On December 14, he returned a punt 81 yards for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. He ended the season with 405 punt return yards. He also returned 14 kickoffs for 428 yards.
Changes and Injuries (2015-2018)
In 2015, De'Anthony officially became a wide receiver. His playing time decreased a bit. He scored one touchdown from catching passes and one rushing touchdown. Later that year, he was placed on a special list for illness.
He returned in 2016, but his role as a return specialist became smaller. This was because a new fast player, Tyreek Hill, joined the team. De'Anthony still returned kicks and played a new role as a "gunner" on special teams. A gunner is a player who runs down the field quickly to tackle the returner.
In 2017, De'Anthony became more involved in the offense when another receiver got injured. He caught 14 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. He continued to be a gunner on special teams. He was placed on injured reserve in January 2018 due to a leg injury.
He re-signed with the Chiefs in 2018 but only played in 5 games due to another injury. He caught a touchdown pass in a win against the Los Angeles Chargers. He also had a 48-yard punt return against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was placed on injured reserve again in October 2018 after breaking his leg in practice.
Final Season with Chiefs (2019)
De'Anthony re-signed with the Chiefs in August 2019. He had a small role in the offense, with only one rush and one catch. However, he continued as a return specialist. He returned 7 kickoffs for 155 yards and 13 punts for 55 yards. The Chiefs released him in October 2019.
Baltimore Ravens
In November 2019, De'Anthony Thomas signed with the Baltimore Ravens. He became their main return player for the rest of the season. He returned 10 kickoffs for 166 yards and 13 punts for 93 yards. He also had one rushing attempt for 1 yard. He played in a playoff game for the Ravens, returning 3 kicks for 71 yards.
He re-signed with the Ravens in March 2020. However, he chose not to play in the 2020 NFL season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He was released by the Ravens in January 2021.
BC Lions
On February 1, 2022, De'Anthony Thomas signed with the BC Lions. This team plays in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was officially released by the team in February 2024.
Images for kids
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De'Anthony Thomas with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019
