Thomas "T.J." McKenzie is a former indoor football

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

Early life

McKenzie graduated from

Etiwanda High School Etiwanda High School is a public high school in Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States. It is one of the twelve schools of the Chaffey Joint Union High School District and serves students in the Etiwanda community on the northeast side of Ran ...

in Etiwanda, Ca.

Professional career

Marion Mayhem

Following the 2006 season,it was announced that McKenzie had signed with the

Marion Mayhem The Marion Mayhem were a professional indoor football team based in Marion, Ohio. The team was a charter member of the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIFL), later renamed the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL), joining in 2006 as an ...

of the

Continental Indoor Football League The Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) was an indoor football league based along the Midwestern United States region that played nine seasons from 2006 to 2014. It began play in April 2006 as the Great Lakes Indoor Football League (GLIF ...

. Thomas was a force for the Mayhem for many years. He set the CIFL record for sacks in a game with 4.0.

Fort Wayne FireHawks

After the Mayhem season ended abruptly in 2010, McKenzie, and several other Mayhem players, joined the Fort Wayne FireHawks to finish the 2010 season. The FireHawks, had locked up a playoff spot, when Marion folded. In the final game of the season, McKenzie broke his own record of 4.5 sacks, by recording 5.5 sacks against the

Chicago Cardinals The professional American football team now known as the Arizona Cardinals previously played in Chicago, Illinois, as the Chicago Cardinals from 1898 to 1959 before relocating to St. Louis, Missouri, for the 1960 through 1987 seasons. Roots ca ...

Northern Kentucky River Monsters

In 2011, McKenzie signed to play with the Northern Kentucky River Monsters of the

Ultimate Indoor Football League The Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL) was a regional professional indoor football league that began its inaugural season on February 18, 2011 as the Ultimate Indoor Football League before playing as the United Indoor Football League in 2012 ...

, rather than sign with the newly formed

Marion Blue Racers The Marion Blue Racers were a professional indoor football team based in Marion, Ohio. The Blue Racers began play as an expansion team in the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL) in 2011, before moving to the United Indoor Football League (U ...

, which replaced the Mayhem. Thomas went on to set many records in the UIFL's inaugural season, on his way to earning Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Marion Blue Racers

For the 2012 season, McKenzie signed to play with the

. This will be McKenzie's return to Marion after playing with the Mayhem in 2010. McKenzie recorded 20 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. His 12 sacks ranked 4th in the UIFL on the season, earning him Honorable Mention All-UIFL North Team. The Blue Racers returned to the CIFL for the 2013 season, and McKenzie with them. The Blue Racers had a disappointing season, but McKenzie did not, as he earned 1st Team All-CIFL honors for the 3 time in his career. McKenzie re-signed with the Blue Racers for 2014 and has also seen spot duty as fullback; he scored two touchdowns (one at each position) in that year's

CIFL Championship Game The CIFL Championship Game was the annual championship game of the Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL). In 2006, it was the meeting of the two semifinal game winners. Following the 2007 and 2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, cl ...

, a 38–26 loss to the

Erie Explosion The Erie Explosion was a professional American indoor football team based in Erie, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2007 as the Pittsburgh RiverRats, the Explosion played in the Professional Indoor Football League, the United Indoor Football League, the ...

. Despite the loss, McKenzie was named league MVP for the 2014 season.

References

External links

DL/FB THOMAS MCKENZIE NAMED 2014 CIFL MVP
{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Thomas 20th-century births Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people American football defensive ends Northern Kentucky River Monsters players Marion Mayhem players Fort Wayne FireHawks players Marion Blue Racers players Dayton Bulldogs players African-American players of American football Sportspeople from Newark, Ohio Players of American football from Ohio 20th-century African-American sportspeople