Darron Varnell Thomas (born May 23, 1990) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Am ...
. He was the starting quarterback for the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...
football team that reached the
2011 BCS National Championship Game and won the
2012 Rose Bowl.
Early life
Thomas was born in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...
on May 23, 1990 to Latina Thomas and Darren Waters. Thomas attended
Aldine High School
Aldine Senior High School is a public high school located in the Greenspoint district of northern Houston, Texas, United States. It is part of the Aldine Independent School District. The senior high school campus serves grades 10 through 12 (alt ...
in
Aldine, Texas.
As a freshman at Aldine, Thomas played as a
running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball,
and block. Th ...
.
During summer practice before Thomas' sophomore year, Aldine head coach, Bob Jones, had the idea of switching Thomas to quarterback to run his spread offense.
Thomas was opposed to the switch, but made it anyway.
During his senior season, Thomas verbally committed to
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...
. When the LSU recruiting class for quarterbacks became 3 members, Thomas de-committed.
Thomas committed to the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc
Nike, Inc. ( or ) is a ...
on December 14, 2007, choosing Oregon over scholarships from
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...
,
LSU,
Miami (FL),
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...
,
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
,
Nebraska
Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...
, and
Oklahoma State
Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, ...
.
College career
![Ducks on offense at Oregon at Cal 2010-11-13 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Ducks_on_offense_at_Oregon_at_Cal_2010-11-13_3.jpg)
Thomas completed his career at Oregon with a 24–3 record as a starter, leading the Ducks to two consecutive Pac-12 Championships, including appearances in two
BCS Bowl
The Bowl Championship Series (BCS) was a selection system that created four or five bowl game match-ups involving eight or ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of American college football, including ...
games.
Just months removed from Aldine High in Houston, Thomas came off the bench as a true freshman to lead a stirring second-half rally against Boise State in his first collegiate game. Thomas tossed three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to rally Oregon from a 24-point deficit. The Ducks lost to
Boise State
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees It became a pub ...
32–27 but his unexpected debut and impressive performance led many fans to believe he would be the true successor to
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Lee Dixon Jr. (born January 11, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft and played with the team through 2011. He was a member of the Baltimore Rav ...
, however, he would continue to backup
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli (born August 24, 1988) is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL as an undrafted free a ...
for the remainder of the 2008 season.
After redshirting the 2009 season, Thomas became the starting quarterback for the Ducks in
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
after previous starter
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli (born August 24, 1988) is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL as an undrafted free a ...
was suspended for the 2010 season and eventually dismissed from the team.
2011 BCS National Championship
In his first season as a starter, Thomas threw for 2,881 yards and 30 touchdowns, leading Oregon to a 12–0 regular season record, and an appearance in the
2011 BCS National Championship Game against Auburn. In that game, Thomas threw for 363 yards and two touchdowns, but also threw two interceptions. Auburn would ultimately go on to win 22–19, with a last-second field goal. After the season, Thomas was named as a 2nd Team All-
Pac-10 Conference
The Pac-12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference, that operates in the Western United States, participating in 24 sports at the NCAA Division I level. Its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS; formerly Division ...
selection at quarterback and the co-recipient of the Skeie’s Award as the team’s most outstanding player.
2012 Rose Bowl
During the 2011 season, Thomas threw for 2,761 yards, and a single season school record of 33 touchdowns, leading the Ducks to the
2012 Rose Bowl, in which Thomas threw for 268 yards and 3 touchdowns to propel Oregon to a 45–38 victory over Wisconsin. The Ducks finished the season 12–2 (8–1 Pac-12) with a #4 final season ranking.
Statistics
Professional career
At the end of his junior season, Thomas surprisingly chose to forgo his senior year to enter the
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
but was neither drafted nor signed as an
undrafted free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who i ...
by any NFL team. He was rated the 17th best quarterback in the 2012 Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.
Calgary Stampeders
On October 9, 2012, Thomas signed a practice roster agreement with the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a c ...
.
Lincoln Haymakers
He would later sign with the
Lincoln Haymakers of the
Champions Professional Indoor Football League
The Champions Professional Indoor Football League (CPIFL) was an indoor football minor league based along the Midwestern United States region. The league began play in February 2013. In August 2014, the CPIFL and Lone Star Football League (LSFL) ...
but never played a game for the Haymakers.
Portland Thunder/Steel
Thomas was assigned to the
Portland Thunder of the
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...
on October 10, 2013. Thomas fits in with the ownership's promise of getting players with Oregon ties. Thomas started the first three games of the season for the Thunder before being benched in favor of
Danny Southwick. Thomas became the primary back up for the Thunder since losing his starting position. Entering his second season with the Thunder in 2015, Thomas was once again the backup quarterback to
Kyle Rowley.
Thomas participated in the NFL's first Veteran Combine in March 2015. On January 27, 2016, he was named head coach
Chris Miller's franchise player in
Major League Football
Major League Football (MLFB) is a proposed professional American football minor league consisting of teams that are all league-owned and Major League Football, Inc., is a publicly traded company.
MLFB will operate on a strict budget, well und ...
. The team was to be called the Oregon Crash but the season never started.
Thomas was assigned to the
Portland Steel
The Portland Steel were a professional arena football team based in Portland, Oregon and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team started as the Portland Thunder, joining the AFL in 2014 as an expansion team along with the Los A ...
on April 25, 2016. He made his only start of the season on May 10, 2016, against the
Los Angeles Kiss, completing 25 of 49 passes for 259 yards, 3 touchdowns and 5 interceptions in a 66–27 loss.
Arizona Rattlers
On October 28, 2016, Thomas signed with the
Arizona Rattlers
The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are currently members of the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League a ...
, who joined the
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a professional indoor American football league created in 2008 out of the merger between the Intense Football League and United Indoor Football. It has one of the largest number of currently active teams am ...
a week prior. Thomas played in 5 games for the Rattlers in 2017, completing 54 of 93 passes for 576 yards, 13 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He also scored four rushing touchdowns. On July 8, the Rattlers defeated the
Sioux Falls Storm
The Sioux Falls Storm are a professional indoor football team based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Storm joined the original Indoor Football League as an expansion team in 1999 as the Sioux Falls Cobras, and first took the field for the 2000 ...
in the
United Bowl United Bowl may refer to:
* The championship game of the former United Indoor Football league from 2005 to 2008
* The championship game of the Indoor Football League, which acquired UIF, from 2009 to the present
* The proposed name of the 2009 U ...
by a score of 50–41.
Cedar Rapids Titans
On February 5, 2018, AZ Central Sports columnist Richard Obert reported that Thomas was traded to the
Cedar Rapids Titans
The Cedar Rapids River Kings were a professional indoor football team based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The River Kings joined the Indoor Football League (IFL) as an expansion team in 2011 as the Cedar Rapids Titans and first took the field for the 20 ...
in exchange for local Arizona product Jordan Gehrke. Thomas was released by the Titans on February 21, 2018.
Massachusetts Pirates
On May 17, 2018, Thomas signed with the
Massachusetts Pirates
The Massachusetts Pirates are a professional indoor football team of the Indoor Football League based in Worcester, Massachusetts, with home games at the DCU Center. The Pirates began play in the 2018 season as a member of the National Arena Le ...
of the
National Arena League
The National Arena League (NAL) is a professional indoor football league that began play in 2017. It consists of teams based on the East Coast of the United States.
Teams' typical payroll budget is $600,000 per season, while players are paid $ ...
.
Washington Valor
Thomas was assigned to the
Washington Valor
The Washington Valor were a professional arena football team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Capital One Arena. The Valor were owned by Monumental Sports ...
in 2019, but he was placed on reassignment on April 19, 2019.
AFL career statistics
References
External links
ESPN profile
Darron Thomas
GoDucks.com biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Darron
Living people
1990 births
American football quarterbacks
Oregon Ducks football players
Calgary Stampeders players
Lincoln Haymakers players
Portland Thunder players
Portland Steel players
Players of American football from Houston
Arizona Rattlers players
Cedar Rapids River Kings players
Massachusetts Pirates players
Washington Valor players