William "Tra" Thomas III (born November 20, 1974) is an American football coach and former player who is the

offensive line 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 numb ...

coach for

IMG Academy IMG Academy is a preparatory boarding school and sports training destination in Bradenton, Florida, United States. IMG Academy is set across over 600 acres and features programs consisting of sport camps for youth athletes, adult camps, a board ...

. He played as an offensive tackle 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 ...

(NFL), primarily for the

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 ...

. Thomas played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He was selected by the Eagles with the 11th overall pick in the

1998 NFL Draft The 1998 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 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...

. He played for the Eagles for 11 seasons, from

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

–

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

. Thomas was also a member of the

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 ...

and San Diego Chargers. He was a one-time

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

and three-time

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

selection in his career.

Early years

Thomas attended

DeLand High School DeLand High School is a public high school in DeLand, Florida, established in 1922, with an enrollment of 3,616 students, a student/teacher ratio of 16.5, and a graduation rate above 90%. Special programs International Baccalaureate DeLand Hig ...

in DeLand, Florida and was a letterman in football.

Professional career

Philadelphia Eagles

Thomas was drafted by the

11th overall in the

. He played for the Eagles from

–

, starting 165 of 166 games at left offensive tackle. He made three

s with the Eagles.

Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 9, 2009, Thomas signed with the

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 ...

. He was released on February 11, 2010.

San Diego Chargers

Thomas was signed by the San Diego Chargers to a one-year contract on June 9, 2010. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee during training camp.

Retirement

Thomas officially retired from the NFL as a Philadelphia Eagle on August 16, 2012.

Coaching career

Thomas rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles as a coaching intern in 2013, working primarily with the offensive line. He was hired following training camp as an offensive assistant coach. His contract expired after the 2014 season and he was not re-signed. He is currently the offensive line coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Broadcast career

In 2011, Thomas replaced Vaughn Hebron as an analyst for

Eagles Post Game Live ''Eagles Postgame Live'' airs after each Philadelphia Eagles game on NBC Sports Philadelphia. The program features the team's post game press conference, interviews, and game analysis. A featured analyst is former Pennsylvania Governor and form ...

Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia NBC Sports Philadelphia is an American regional sports network owned by the NBC Sports Group unit of NBCUniversal, which in turn is owned by locally based cable television provider Comcast (and owns a controlling 75% interest), and the Philadelp ...

, which airs after every

game. In 2019, Thomas joined 97.5 WPEN for their morning broadcast with Marc Farzetta. On March 31, 2020 Thomas was let go from 97.5 due to cutbacks by Beasely Media Group.

Name changes

Thomas' given name is William Thomas III; during the

Ray Rhodes Raymond Earl Rhodes (born October 20, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. Rhodes played wide receiver and cornerback for the New York Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. He served as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles an ...

era, the Eagles had a

linebacker also named William Thomas. During his early years in the NFL, Thomas was referred to by his nickname, "Tra". However, before the 2006 season, Thomas requested to be called William Thomas. In April 2008, he decided to return to Tra Thomas after the name William failed to catch on.Musing On Smith Move, Reid Interview, More - Philadelphia Eagles
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References

External links

Philadelphia Eagles coaching bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Tra 1974 births Living people People from DeLand, Florida Players of American football from Florida American football offensive tackles Florida State Seminoles football players Philadelphia Eagles players Philadelphia Eagles coaches Jacksonville Jaguars players San Diego Chargers players Sportspeople from Volusia County, Florida National Conference Pro Bowl players