Marcus Thigpen facts for kids
Thigpen with the Miami Dolphins in 2012
|
|||||||||||
| No. 34, 19, 11 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back Kick returner |
||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born: | May 15, 1986 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
||||||||||
| 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 | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Career CFL statistics | |||||||||||
|
|||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||
| Player stats at CFL.ca | |||||||||||
Marcus Arnette Thigpen (born May 15, 1986) is an American former professional football player. He played as a running back and kick returner in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).
Marcus played college football for the Indiana Hoosiers. He was even named an All-American in 2006, which is a big honor. After college, he joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. He also played for many other teams, including the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Contents
Early Life and High School Sports
Marcus Thigpen grew up in Detroit, Michigan. He went to Mumford High School. There, he was a star in both football and track.
He was one of the best sprinters in Michigan. In 2004, during his senior year, he won the state championship for the 100-meter dash. He also helped his school win its third straight state track and field title. In football, he was amazing too, running for 1,785 yards and scoring twenty touchdowns.
College Career at Indiana University
After high school, Marcus went to Indiana University. He spent four years playing football there, from 2005 to 2008.
He became one of the best kick returners in his school's history. He also gained a lot of yards from running, catching passes, and returning kicks. He was the first player at Indiana University to get over 1,000 yards in rushing, receiving, and kick returning. In his final year, he was chosen as a team captain. He also earned the award for Indiana University's offensive player of the year in 2008.
College Track and Field
Marcus also ran track for the Indiana Hoosiers. In 2006, he had his best time in the 100 meters, finishing in 10.65 seconds. He was also part of a relay team that ran one of the fastest 4x100 meter races in Indiana University history. His fastest personal 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 Journey
Marcus Thigpen had a long career playing for many different teams.
Starting in the NFL and CFL
After college, Marcus was not chosen in the 2009 NFL draft. But the Philadelphia Eagles still signed him as a player who wasn't drafted. He later joined the Denver Broncos for a short time.
In October 2009, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL. He played a bit with them before moving on.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats Success
In 2010, Marcus joined the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL. He made an immediate impact! In his very first game, he returned a kickoff for a touchdown. He was named the CFL Special Teams Player of the Week.
He continued to shine, scoring touchdowns in many different ways. On August 13, 2010, Marcus became the first player in CFL history to score a touchdown five different ways in one season. He scored on a kickoff return, a punt return, a missed field goal return, a running play, and a pass reception.
Playing for the Miami Dolphins
Marcus signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. In his first NFL game, he returned a punt 72 yards for a touchdown! This was the first punt return touchdown for the Dolphins since 2007. Later that year, he returned a kickoff 96 yards for another touchdown.
In 2013, he caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Tannehill with just over a minute left in the game. This play helped the Dolphins win against the New England Patriots.
Other NFL Teams
After his first time with the Dolphins, Marcus played for several other NFL teams in 2014 and 2015. He was briefly with the New England Patriots and then returned to the Miami Dolphins practice squad.
He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Later, he joined the Buffalo Bills. In a game against the Green Bay Packers, Marcus returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, which was a key play in the Bills' win. He also had short stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders.
Return to the Saskatchewan Roughriders
In 2017, Marcus returned to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL. He played well, especially in a playoff game where he ran for 169 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. This helped his team win.
In the 2018 season, he had his best CFL year for rushing, with 408 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also caught many passes and returned kicks and punts. He stayed with the Roughriders until 2020.
Toronto Argonauts
In February 2020, Marcus signed with the Toronto Argonauts. However, the 2020 CFL season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Marcus decided to opt out of his contract with the Argonauts in September 2020.
