Blair Thomas
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Blair Lamar Thomas (born October 7, 1967) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team All-American honors in 1989.
Early years
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 career
Thomas accepted a football scholarship from
As a senior returning from reconstructive knee surgery, he averaged just 19 carries in the first 6 games, but ended strong by rushing for over 100-yards in six straight games,
He finished second on the
In 2011, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.[2]
Professional career
Thomas was
In his second season, head coach Bruce Coslet still used him in the same four-man running back rotation, but his carries increased to 189, finishing with 728 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1992, a series of injuries limited him to 9 games (7 starts), registering 440 yards on 97 carries.
The next year, he was used in a three-man running back rotation with
Thomas is widely considered another in a long line of Jets draft disappointments, rushing for only 2,000 yards and five touchdowns in his four seasons with the team.
On March 31, 1994, he was signed as a free agent by the New England Patriots.[6] He appeared in 4 games, rushing for 67 yards and one touchdown in 19 carries. On November 3, he was released to make room for defensive tackle Bruce Walker.[7] On December 1, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to be the backup for Emmitt Smith.[8] In the Cowboys divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Thomas took over for an injured Smith and rushed for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 35–9 win.
On June 15, 1995, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons,[9] but was released on August 21.[10] On November 7, he was signed by the Carolina Panthers for depth purposes while Derrick Moore was out with a knee injury.[11]
NFL career statistics
Year | Team | GP | Rushing | Fumbles | ||||||
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Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | FD | Fum | 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 |
NE | 4 | 19 | 67 | 3.5 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
1995 | CAR | 7 | 22 | 90 | 4.1 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
Career[12] | 64 | 533 | 2,236 | 4.2 | 41 | 7 | 89 | 2 | 2 |
Coaching career
Thomas served as
Thomas also serves as a volunteer instructor for Football University. In 2008, Thomas and several other ex-NFLers, conducted a youth football camp in
Personal life
Thomas resides in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, with his wife Lisa. He has three children: Preston, Keisha, and Blair. Thomas, former Penn State and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Kenny Jackson, and local AFLAC agent Al Mayer are partners in a chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-area sports bars called KoKoMos.[14]
References
- ^ "All the way back". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ Sherman, Steve (2011-09-08). "Troy Vincent, Mike Pettine among Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame inductees". Bucks Local News.
- ^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (23 April 1990). "Jets' Big Surprise: Unsurprising Pick". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ Harvin, Al (2 November 1990). "Jets' Thomas and Cowboys' Smith in Rookie Showdown". The New York Times. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Pat sign former Jet". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Patriots Unload Thomas". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Cowboys Sign Blair Thomas, an Ex-Jet". The New York Times. December 1994. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Falcons Sign Blair Thomas, a Former Jet". The New York Times. 16 June 1995. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Transactions". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Panthers Sign Running Back". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
- ^ "Blair Thomas Stats". ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
- New York Daily News. Retrieved 2008-09-22.
- ^ "On the Rail Dan Steinberg loses his shirt at the Preakness". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2016.