Daniel Thomas (born October 29, 1987) 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

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for the

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

of 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). He played

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for the

Kansas State Wildcats The Kansas State Wildcats (variously "Kansas State", "K-State", or "KSU") are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Kansas State University. The School colors, official color of the teams is Royal Purple; white and silver are gener ...

. He was selected by the Dolphins in the second round of the

2011 NFL draft The 2011 NFL draft was the 76th installment of the annual National Football League draft, NFL draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Rad ...

Early life

Thomas rushed 103 times for 1,100 yards and 11 touchdowns at quarterback as a senior at Hilliard Middle-Senior High School in

Hilliard, Florida Hilliard is a town in Nassau County, Florida, United States; northwest of Jacksonville. It is part of the Jacksonville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,967, down from 3,086 at the 2010 census. ...

. He threw for 936 yards and added 11 touchdowns. He also chipped in 57 tackles and one interception as a senior safety. He earned all-state honors as both a quarterback and linebacker. As a Junior, Thomas rushed for 178 yards and a touchdown and also had 34 receptions for 596 yards and four touchdowns primarily playing WR on a team that also featured Ralph Bolden who was an All-Big 10 performer at RB for Purdue in 2009. Thomas was also a stand-out basketball player in High School, earning All-Nassau county honors while averaging 17.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

College career

Junior college

Thomas rushed for over 500 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman and helped lead Northwest Mississippi CC to a division championship. Thomas accounted for 618 yards and six touchdowns in 2007 on 103 carries and also threw for 450 yards and two scores. Thomas capped off his junior college career by becoming a JUCO All-American. Unable to qualify academically for Kansas State in July 2008, Thomas spent the 2008 season at Butler County Community College and Manhattan Christian College in order to meet academic requirements.

Kansas State

Thomas came to Kansas State as a four-star prospect by Rivals.com and the number 35 junior college prospect in the nation. He was also a three-star prospect by Scout.com. He was rated as the No. 8 JUCO prospect in the state of

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

by the Sun Herald. Thomas was voted the 2009 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was named to the All-Big 12 First-team. Thomas gave the Wildcats their third straight Offensive Newcomer of the Year award winner and league-leading fourth overall. Brandon Banks and Deon Murphy were honored in 2008 and 2007, respectively, joining K-State’s first honoree, Michael Bishop in 1997. Thomas rushed for 1,265 yards on 247 carries, averaging 5.1 yards and 11 touchdowns. At the close of his KSU career, Thomas ranked second in school history in career rushing yards, single season rushing yards, number three in carries in a career, number four in rushing touchdowns, number two in single season rushing touchdowns, number six in single season all-purpose yards, number five in all-time all-purpose yards.

College statistics

''*FBS totals only''

Professional career

Miami Dolphins (first stint)

Thomas was taken with the 62nd overall pick in the second round of the

by the

. On July 29, 2011, he signed a 4-year contract. Thomas found early success in the NFL, rushing for 107 yards in Week 2 and 95 yards with a receiving touchdown in Week 3. He injured his hamstring and was not able to play again until Week 6. Thomas finished the season with 165 carries for 581 yards. The Dolphins released Thomas on August 30, 2014 for final roster cuts before the start of the 2014 season. Thomas was re-signed on September 15, 2014, after an injury to Knowshon Moreno.

Chicago Bears

On June 18, 2015, 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 ...

signed Thomas to a one-year contract. He was released on August 30, 2015.

Miami Dolphins (second stint)

Thomas signed with the Dolphins on March 31, 2016. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Dolphins as part of final roster cuts.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

Thomas signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 19 ...

in January 2017. He was released on June 1, 2017

References

External links

Official websiteMiami Dolphins bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Daniel 1987 births Living people People from Hilliard, Florida American football running backs Canadian football running backs Players of Canadian football from Florida Northwest Mississippi Rangers football players Kansas State Wildcats football players Miami Dolphins players Chicago Bears players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of American football from Florida