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

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was 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 American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning first-team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

honors in 1989.

Early life

Thomas attended Frankford High School in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. As a senior, he rushed for 1,551 yards and 24 touchdowns, while helping his team win the Public League title and receiving All-state honors. In three seasons at Frankford, he set the Public League rushing record with 3,941 yards and tied the Public League career record with 59 touchdowns.

College career

Thomas accepted a football scholarship from

Penn State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsyl ...

. As a freshman in 1985, he saw limited action as a backup running back, registering 14 carries for 42 yards (3-yard avg.) and no touchdowns. As a sophomore in 1986, he was one of the main backup running backs behind D.J. Dozier on the 1986

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, 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 be ...

team, tallying 504 yards (third on the team), 60 carries (fourth on the team) and 5 rushing touchdowns (second on the team). He also broke

Lenny Moore Leonard Edward Moore (born November 25, 1933) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Halfback (American football), halfback and wide receiver, flanker for the Baltimore Colts of the National Football Leag ...

's school record of 8.0 yards per carry with an 8.4-yard average. As a junior in 1987, he was named the starter and led the team with 268 carries for 1,414 yard and 11 rushing touchdowns, while tallying 23 catches for 300 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. He had a career-high 35 carries for 214 yards in the 21–20 win over the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

. He suffered a serious right knee injury during an informal workout prior to the Citrus Bowl at the end of the season. He spent the 1988 season rehabilitating his knee. 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 16–17 loss against the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, the Capstone, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of ...

, Thomas was given the ball eleven times in a row in the fourth quarter and managed to score the potential tying touchdown, but the extra point was blocked. In the Holiday Bowl 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 (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

, he rushed for a bowl record 186 yards on 35 carries, receiving

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

honors. He was also named the MVP in the Senior Bowl after rushing for 137 yards on only 11 carries. He finished second on the Nittany Lions' all-time rushing list with 3,301 yards and 21

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s, just 97 yards shy of the Penn State record set by Curt Warner. 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, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

in recreation and parks management at

in 1989. In 2011, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Professional career

New York Jets

Thomas was selected by the

in the first round (second overall) of the 1990 NFL draft. He was given the number 32, which no Jet had worn since the retirement of Emerson Boozer 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, Johnny Hector and Brad Baxter. In the third game against the

, he had 20 carries for 100 yards. In his last 10 games of the season, he only received more than 10 carries just once, in Week 14 against the

. He posted 620 rushing 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, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

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

s in rushing yardage. In 1991,

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Bruce Coslet still used him in the same four-man running back rotation, but his carries increased to 189 (career-high), finishing with 728 rushing yards (led the team) and 3 touchdowns. His best game came against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, where he had 27 carries for 125 rushing yards (career-high), but also lost a fumble, that contributed in part to the Jets squandering a 13–6 lead with 2 minutes remaining and losing 13–19 in overtime. A surprise playoff participant, the 8-8 Jets rushed for only 71 yards in a 17-10 wild-card loss against the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

, with Thomas missing the game with an ankle injury. In 1992, a series of injuries limited him to 9 games (7 starts), registering 440 yards on 97 carries. He missed three games with groin and hip injuries, and the last four with a sprained knee. In 1993, the Jets traded for running back Johnny Johnson. Thomas was used in a three-man running back rotation with Johnson and Baxter. 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 was hardly used in the last 6 games of the season, rushing for only 58 yards. He 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 or manager 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 a contract at present ...

at the end of the season. Thomas is widely considered another in a long line of Jets draft disappointments, surpassing 100 yards rushing in just 2 games, while rushing for only 2,000 yards and five

s in his four seasons with the team.

New England Patriots

On March 31, 1994, he was signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager 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 a contract at present ...

by the

. He sprained his ankle on the second play of the first preseason game, which forced him to be declared inactive for seven of the first 11 games of the season. 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 A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that typically lines up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the Guard (American football), offensive guards; however, he may also line up opposite one of the offensive Tackle (gridir ...

Bruce Walker.

Dallas Cowboys

On December 1, 1994, he was signed by the

to be the backup for Emmitt Smith over the incumbent Lincoln Coleman. He started in the season finale against 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

and rushed for 63 yards. In the Cowboys NFC divisional playoff game against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. Thomas took over for an injured Smith and rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns while losing a fumble in the 35–9 win. He did not appear in the NFC Championship Game the following week; as it turned out, the NFC Divisional game was his only career appearance in a playoff game. Thomas was not re-signed after the season.

Atlanta Falcons

On June 15, 1995, he signed with the

, but was released on August 21.

Carolina Panthers

On November 7, 1995, he was signed by the

for depth purposes, while starter Derrick Moore was out with a knee injury. He appeared in 7 games, tallying 22 carries for 90 yards and no touchdowns. He wasn't re-signed after the season.

NFL career statistics

Coaching career

Thomas served as

s coach at

Temple University Temple University (Temple or TU) is a public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist ministe ...

for eight seasons, from 1998 to 2005. He played a key role in the development of

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 of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

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 (nicknamed K.O.P.) is a census-designated place in Upper Merion Township, Pennsylvania, Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The community took its unusual name in the 18th century from a loca ...

, 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 of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Kenny Jackson, and local AFLAC agent Al Mayer are partners in a chain of

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

-area sports bars called KoKoMos.

References

External links

Jets' Thomas, Never a Star, Says He Didn't Get Roles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Blair 1967 births African-American coaches 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 Temple Owls football coaches 21st-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportsmen Second overall NFL draft picks