Marcus Thigpen facts for kids
Thigpen with the Miami Dolphins in 2012
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| No. 34, 19, 11 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Running back Kick returner |
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| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | May 15, 1986 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 193 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Mumford (Detroit) | ||||||||||
| College: | Indiana | ||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 2009 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||||
Marcus Arnette Thigpen, born on May 15, 1986, is a former American football player. He was known for playing as a running back and kick returner. He played in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). Thigpen played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was even named an All-American in 2006. After college, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. He also played for many other teams, including the Miami Dolphins and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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Early Life and High School Sports
Marcus Thigpen grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He went to Mumford High School. There, he was a star athlete in both football and track. He was one of the best sprinters in Michigan. In 2004, his senior year, he won the 100-meter dash state championship. He helped his school win its third straight state track title. In football, he ran for 1,785 yards and scored twenty touchdowns.
College Football Journey
After high school, Thigpen went to Indiana University. He spent four years playing football there from 2005 to 2008. He became the third-best kick returner in the school's history. He gained over 2,000 yards from kick returns. He also ranked third in total yards gained, with 4,655. He scored 21 touchdowns during his college career. Thigpen was the first Indiana player to gain over 1,000 yards in rushing, receiving, and kick returning. In 2008, he was a team captain. He was also named Indiana's offensive player of the year. He finished college in 2009 with a degree in social/behavioral science and criminal justice.
College Track and Field Achievements
Thigpen also ran track for Indiana University. In 2006, he had his best 100-meter time at 10.65 seconds. He helped his relay team run the third-fastest 4x100 meter relay in school history. His personal best times were 6.77 seconds in the 60 meters, 10.34 seconds in the 100 meters, and 21.27 seconds in the 200 meters.
Professional Football Career
Marcus Thigpen began his professional football journey in 2009. He was not chosen in the NFL draft. However, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him as a free agent. He later had short stays with the Denver Broncos. His career then took him to the Canadian Football League.
Playing in the CFL
Thigpen first joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2009. In 2010, he signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He made an immediate impact, returning his first kickoff for a touchdown. He became the first CFL player to score a touchdown five different ways in one season. This included kickoff returns, punt returns, missed field goal returns, running plays, and receptions.
He returned to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017. He played mainly as a running back in a playoff game. He ran for 169 yards and scored a 75-yard touchdown. This was one of the best playoff performances by a Roughriders player. In 2018, he had his best CFL season for rushing yards and touchdowns. He later signed with the Toronto Argonauts in 2020.
Playing in the NFL
Thigpen signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. In his first NFL game, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown. This was the Dolphins' first punt return touchdown since 2007. Later that season, he returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. In 2013, he caught a winning touchdown pass against the New England Patriots. This helped the Dolphins end a long losing streak against the Patriots.
After leaving the Dolphins, Thigpen had brief stints with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2014, he joined the Buffalo Bills. He scored a 75-yard punt return touchdown against the Green Bay Packers. This play helped the Bills win the game. He later had another short time with the Bills in 2015. He also played briefly for the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders.
