Craphonso Ja'won "Cro" Thorpe (born June 27, 1983) 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 wit ...
wide receiver. He was drafted by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
in the fourth round of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also hel ...
. He played
college football at
Florida State
Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the sta ...
.
Thorpe has also been a member of the
Houston Texans,
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
,
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
,
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 ...
,
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
,
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
,
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...
,
New York Sentinels
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
, and
Omaha Nighthawks
The Omaha Nighthawks were a professional American football team based in Omaha, Nebraska, which played in the United Football League, joining the league as an expansion team in 2010. During their first season, the Nighthawks played their home gam ...
.
Early years
Craphonso's first name is derived from his father's two given names, Craig and Alphonso, and is pronounced roughly "Crah-fonzo".
He attended Lincoln High School in Tallahassee, Florida. His senior year saw him catch 64 passes for 1,024 yards and eight touchdowns. He also played cornerback, and was regarded as a top prospect in Florida at both positions. Thorpe recorded 24 tackles, three interceptions, 14 pass break-ups and recovered two fumbles at the cornerback position. Lincoln High School won the Florida State Title Championship in his junior year there.
In track, he was a fast 100m runner, placing 2nd in the Florida 4A Track Meet behind Wharton High Schools Dwight Ellick in his senior year. His time in the finals was 10.68, Ellick ran a 10.6 flat.
He played in the first-ever
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...
on December 30, 2000.
Professional career
Kansas City Chiefs
Thorpe was drafted by the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
in the fourth round (116th overall) of the
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 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 23–24, 2005. The league also hel ...
. He signed a three-year contract with the team on July 29, 2005. He was released by the team during final cuts on September 3, 2005.
Following his release, Thorpe was added to the Chiefs'
practice squad. He remained there until December 30, 2005 when he was signed to the active roster. However, he was inactive for the team's final game of the season.
Thorpe battled a shoulder injury during the 2006 preseason and was waived by the team on August 28, 2006.
Houston Texans
On October 17, 2006, the
Houston Texans signed Thorpe to their practice squad. He was released by the team on October 25.
Detroit Lions
Thorpe remained unsigned until January 2, 2007, when he signed with the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at For ...
. He failed to make it to training camp with the team, however, and was waived on April 18.
Indianapolis Colts
Thorpe was then claimed off waivers by the
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 20 ...
. He was waived by the team on September 1, 2007 but re-signed to the practice squad on September 20, 2007.
On October 7, 2007, Thorpe was signed to the active roster after
Rob Morris was placed on
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
. He made his NFL debut that day against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
, returning three kickoffs for 19 yards and four punts for nine yards.
Thorpe recorded his first offensive statistics against the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
on November 11, 2007 catching five passes for 41 yards in what would also be his most productive game of the season. He caught another pass for six yards the following week against the
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The t ...
.
In the team's regular season finale against the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, Thorpe caught his first career touchdown on a three-yard pass from backup quarterback
Jim Sorgi
James Joseph Sorgi Jr. (born December 3, 1980) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Wisconsin and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Sorgi served a ...
.
Two weeks later, Thorpe was inactive for the team's divisional round playoff game against the Chargers, which the Colts lost 28–24. He was waived by the team the following offseason on February 29, 2008.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On May 31, 2008, Thorpe was signed by 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 ...
to a one-year, $370,000 contract. However, he was waived on June 16.
New York Giants
On June 20, 2008, Thorpe signed with the
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...
. He was released with an injury settlement on August 28.
Tennessee Titans
After spending the 2008 season out of football, Thorpe was signed by the
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
on January 6, 2009. He was waived on July 7, 2009.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Thorpe signed a practice roster agreement by the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...
on July 13, 2009. He was released on September 2.
New York Sentinels
Thorpe was signed by the
New York Sentinels
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
of the
United Football League on September 9, 2009.
References
External links
Just Sports StatsIndianapolis Colts bioJacksonville Jaguars bioWinnipeg Blue Bombers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thorpe, Craphonso
1983 births
Living people
Players of American football from Tallahassee, Florida
American football wide receivers
Canadian football wide receivers
American players of Canadian football
Florida State Seminoles football players
Kansas City Chiefs players
Houston Texans players
Detroit Lions players
Indianapolis Colts players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
New York Giants players
Tennessee Titans players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
New York Sentinels players
Omaha Nighthawks players