| Buffalo Bills — No. 28 | |
| Running back | |
| Date of Birth: November 7 1977 | |
| Place of Birth: Winnfield, Louisiana | |
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 221 lb (100 kg) |
| National Football League Debut | |
|---|---|
| 2001 for the Chicago Bears | |
| Career Highlights and Awards | |
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| Career History | |
| College: Michigan | |
| NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38 | |
Teams:
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| Stats at NFL.com | |
Anthony Jermaine Thomas (born November 7, 1977 in Winnfield, Louisiana) is an American football running back who currently plays plays for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round (38th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at Michigan. As a rookie with the Bears in 2001, rushed for over 1,100 yards and seven touchdowns to earn the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Contents |
High school career
At Winnfield Senior High School, he starred on the basketball, track, and football teams. He set a state record with 106 career touchdowns while playing both running back and placekicker. He was named a first-team All-American and rated as the second-best running back in the country by the Prep Football Report.
College career
Before entering the professional ranks, Thomas played college football at University of Michigan. As a freshman in 1997, he contributed to the Wolverines' 12-0 national championship season. In his stellar collegiate career (1997-2000), Thomas set school records for rushing yards (4,472) and touchdowns (56). His record for rushing yards was broken seven years later by Mike Hart, as shown in the following chart:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Touchdowns | Long | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Hart | 983 | 4911 | 5.0 | 39 | 64 | 2004 | 2007 |
| 2 | Anthony Thomas | 924 | 4472 | 4.8 | 55 | 80 | 1997 | 2000 |
| 3 | Jamie Morris | 806 | 4392 | 5.5 | 25 | 68 | 1984 | 1987 |
| 4 | Tyrone Wheatley | 688 | 4178 | 6.1 | 47 | 88 | 1991 | 1994 |
| 5 | Butch Woolfolk | 717 | 3850 | 5.4 | 29 | 92 | 1978 | 1981 |
Thomas also ranks second in school history in rushing yards in a single season with 1,703 yards in 2000:
| Rank | Name | Attempts | Net Yds | Yds/Att | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Biakabutuka | 303 | 1818 | 6.0 | 1995 |
| 2 | Anthony Thomas | 319 | 1733 | 5.4 | 2000 |
| 3 | Jamie Morris | 282 | 1703 | 6.0 | 1987 |
| 4 | Chris Perry | 338 | 1674 | 5.0 | 2003 |
| 5 | Mike Hart | 318 | 1562 | 4.9 | 2006 |
Professional career
Thomas was selected in the second round (38th overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Nicknamed "A-Train" due to his power-running style, he powered his way to 1,183 rushing yards and the NFL Rookie of the Year Award. With the emergence of Thomas Jones in Chicago, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 as the backup running back to Julius Jones. Thomas' ineffectiveness in limited duty, his inability to play special teams, and the emergence of Marion Barber III as the primary backup led Dallas to release him in November 2005. He was quickly signed by New Orleans after they lost Deuce McAllister with a season ending knee injury, and split rushing duties with Aaron Stecker. On April 28, 2006, Thomas signed with the Buffalo Bills.
Trivia
- Award-winning rookie campaign culminated in his selection as the 2001 rookie recipient of the Brian Piccolo Award, voted by his Bears teammates, after being named NFL Rookie-of-the-Year by Sports Illustrated and selected to Pro Football Weekly's All-Rookie team
- Thomas set an NFL record for most touches by a rookie without a fumble with 300 split between 278 rush attempts and 22 receptions
See also
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football rushing leaders
- Lists of Michigan Wolverines football receiving leaders
External links
| Preceded by Mike Anderson |
AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year 2001 |
Succeeded by Clinton Portis |
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| 1967: Farr | 1968: McCullouch | 1969: Hill | 1970: Shaw | 1971: Brockington | 1972: Harris | 1973: Foreman | 1974: Woods | 1975: M. Thomas | 1976: White | 1977: Dorsett | 1978: Campbell | 1979: O. Anderson | 1980: Sims | 1981: Rogers | 1982: Allen | 1983: Dickerson | 1984: Lipps | 1985: Brown | 1986: Mayes | 1987: Stradford | 1988: Stephens | 1989: Sanders | 1990: Smith | 1991: Russell | 1992: Pickens | 1993: Bettis | 1994: Faulk | 1995: Martin | 1996: George | 1997: Dunn | 1998: Moss | 1999: James | 2000: M. Anderson | 2001: A. Thomas | 2002: Portis | 2003: Boldin | 2004: Roethlisberger | 2005: Williams | 2006: Young | 2007: Peterson |
