Blair Lamar Thomas (born October 7, 1967) is a former professional

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 ...

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. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

for the New York Jets, New England Patriots,

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

, Atlanta Falcons and

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

. He played college football at Penn State University.

Early years

Thomas was an all-state football player at Frankford High School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

. 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 Penn State University. He was a backup on the 1986

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

team, tallying 504 yards on 60 carries and 5 touchdowns. In 1987, he became a starter as a junior for head coach

Joe Paterno Joseph Vincent Paterno (; December 21, 1926 – January 22, 2012), sometimes referred to as JoePa, was an American college football player, athletic director, and coach. He was the head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions from 1966 to 2 ...

, posting 1,414 yards on 268 carries and 11 touchdowns. In 1988, he was lost for the season with a serious right knee injury. 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, while registering 1,341 yards on 264 carries and 5 touchdowns. In the

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has ...

against

Brigham Young Brigham Young (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as ch ...

, he rushed for a bowl record 186 yards on 35 carries, receiving Most Valuable Player honors. He was also named the MVP in the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

after rushing for 137 yards on only 11 carries. He finished second on the

Nittany Lions The Penn State Nittany Lions are the athletic teams of Pennsylvania State University, except for the women's basketball team, known as the Lady Lions. The school colors are navy blue and white. The school mascot is the Nittany Lion. The interc ...

’s all-time rushing list with 3,301 yards and 21

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

s, just 97 yards shy of the Penn State record set by

Curt Warner Curtis Edward Warner (born March 18, 1961) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). A two-time All-American at Penn State University, Warner was drafted by the Seattle Se ...

. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry, . He was also the first player in school history to rush for more than 1,300 yards in two seasons (1987, 1989). He earned his

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...

in recreation and parks management at Penn State University in 1989. In 2011, he was inducted into the

Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame The Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame (PSHF) is a nonprofit organization established in 1962.Home page
Pennsylvania Sports Hall o ...

Professional career

Thomas was selected by the New York Jets in the first round (second overall) of the

1990 NFL Draft The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Mar ...

and was given the number 32, which no Jet had worn since the retirement of

Emerson Boozer Emerson Boozer (born July 4, 1943) is a former running back in the American Football League (AFL) and in the National Football League (NFL). In the last year of separate drafts by the AFL and the NFL, Boozer signed with the AFL's New York Jets, r ...

in 1975, with the expectation of developing into a great player. As a rookie, he was used as part of a four-man running back rotation that included

Freeman McNeil Freeman McNeil (born April 22, 1959) is a former professional American football player. He was selected by the New York Jets in the first round as the third overall pick of the 1981 NFL Draft. Early life McNeil was born in Jackson, Mississippi. ...

, Johnny Hector and

Brad Baxter Herman Brad Baxter (born May 5, 1967) is a former professional American football running back who played in the National Football League from 1989 to 1995. Drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the eleventh round of the 1989 NFL Draft, Baxter faile ...

. He posted 620 yards on only 123 carries, leading the NFL

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

s in yards-per-carry (5 yards) and the AFC

s in rushing yardage. In his second season,

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

Bruce Coslet Bruce Coslet (born August 5, 1946) is a former American college and professional football player and professional football coach. A tight end, he played for the University of the Pacific and in 1969 debuted with the American Football League's C ...

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 Johnny Johnson and

. After injuring his hamstring in the fourth game and missing the next five contests, Johnson took over the starting role and went on to have 821 rushing yards, 641 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. Thomas appeared in 11 games (5 starts), rushing for 221 yards and one touchdown in 59 carries. He became an

unrestricted 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 is ...

at the end of the season. Thomas is widely considered another in a long line of Jets draft disappointments, rushing for only 2,000 yards and five

s in his four seasons with the team. On March 31, 1994, he was signed as a

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 is a ...

by the New England Patriots. 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. On December 1, he was signed by the

to be the backup for Emmitt Smith. 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, but was released on August 21. On November 7, he was signed by the

for depth purposes while Derrick Moore was out with a knee injury.

Career statistics

Coaching career

Thomas served as

s coach at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia then calle ...

for eight seasons, from 1998–2005. He played a key role in the development of Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie, and

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

Stacey Mack. Thomas was responsible for recruiting in

, 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.

Personal life

Thomas resides in

King of Prussia, Pennsylvania King of Prussia (also referred to as KOP) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 22,028. The community took its unusual name in the 18th ...

, with his wife Lisa. He has three children: Preston, Keisha, and Blair. Thomas, former Penn State and

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

wide receiver Kenny Jackson, and local AFLAC agent Al Mayer are partners in a chain of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-area sports bars called KoKoMos.

References

External links

Penn State bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Blair 1967 births African-American coaches of American football African-American players of American football American football running backs Players of American football from Philadelphia Carolina Panthers players Dallas Cowboys players Living people New England Patriots players New York Jets players Penn State Nittany Lions football players Sportspeople from Philadelphia Temple Owls football coaches 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople