Blair Thomas
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| Position: | Running back | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Date of birth: | October 7, 1967 | ||||||||
| Place of birth: | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Frankford High School (Philadelphia) | ||||||||
| College: | Penn State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1990 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| As coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Blair Lamar Thomas (born October 7, 1967) is a former professional American football player and coach. He played running back for six seasons in the National Football League. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.[1]
Playing career
High school
Thomas was an all-state football player at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. In three seasons at Frankford, he rushed for 3,941 yards and tied a Public League career record with 59 touchdowns.
College
A member of Penn State University's 1986 National Championship team, Thomas was a 1989 All-American and a two-year starter for head coach Joe Paterno. He finished second on the Nittany Lions’s all-time rushing list with 3,301 yards and 21 touchdowns, just 97 yards shy of the Penn State record set by Curt Warner. He was also the first player in school history to rush for more than 1,400 yards in two seasons (1987,1989). Thomas was the Most Valuable Player of the 1989 Holiday Bowl, setting a record with 35 carries for 186 yards. He was also the Most Valuable Player of the Senior Bowl.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in recreation and parks management at Penn State University in 1989.
Professional
Thomas was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round (second overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft. His NFL playing career spanned six seasons. Despite leading NFL rookies in yards-per-carry and AFC rookies in total yardage, he is widely considered another in a long line of Jets draft disappointments. Thomas rushed for only 2,000 yards and five touchdowns in his four seasons with the Jets.
Thomas suffered a series of nagging injuries beginning in 1992 and was released by the Jets following the 1993 season. He began the 1994 season with the New England Patriots, but finished it with the Dallas Cowboys. He then signed with the Atlanta Falcons in 1995, but was released shortly after. He concluded his NFL career with the Carolina Panthers.
Rushing Stats[2]
| Year | Team | Games | Carries | Yards | Yards per Carry | Longest Carry | Touchdowns | First Downs | Fumbles | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | NYJ | 15 | 123 | 620 | 5.0 | 41 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | NYJ | 16 | 189 | 728 | 3.9 | 25 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | NYJ | 9 | 97 | 440 | 4.5 | 19 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 2 |
| 1993 | NYJ | 11 | 59 | 221 | 3.7 | 24 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | DAL | 2 | 24 | 70 | 2.9 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | NE | 4 | 19 | 67 | 3.5 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1995 | CAR | 7 | 22 | 90 | 4.1 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 64 | 533 | 2,236 | 4.2 | 41 | 7 | 89 | 2 | 2 |
Coaching career
Thomas served as running backs coach at Temple University for eight seasons, from 1998-2005. He played a key role in the development of Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie, and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Stacey Mack. Thomas was responsible for recruiting Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. He was also the team’s NFL liaison and summer football camp coordinator.
Thomas also serves as a volunteer instructor for Football University. In 2008, Thomas and several other ex-NFLers, conducted a youth football camp in Barrow, Alaska. Barrow is so remote it is only accessible by airplane, and the local high school asked Football University for help with the difficult task of building a football program from scratch there.[3]
Personal
Thomas resides in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania with his wife Lisa. He has three children. Thomas, former Penn State and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kenny Jackson, and local AFLAC agent Al Mayer are partners in chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-area sports bars called KoKoMos.
References
- ↑ Sherman, Steve (2011-09-08). "Troy Vincent, Mike Pettine among Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame inductees". Bucks Local News.
- ↑ "Blair Thomas Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
- ↑ Cimini, Rich (2008-09-21). "Where are they now? Blair Thomas". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
External links
- "Prepare for the worst, Jets fans" ESPN The Magazine, April 26, 2007
- King of Prussia’s Blair Thomas returns to coaching at Football U, The King of Prussia Courier, July 3, 2008
| Sporting positions | ||
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| Preceded by Freeman McNeil |
New York Jets Starting Running Back 1990-1993 |
Succeeded by Johnny Johnson |
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