Pierre Thomas

Undrafted free agent who became a Saints legend and Super Bowl champion.

Charles Pierre Thomas Jr. (born December 18, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2007. Thomas developed into an all-around threat as a runner, pass catcher, blocker, and special teams player. He led the Saints in rushing yards in 2008 and 2009 and again in 2013. He became known for his excellence in executing the screen pass; it was a screen pass on which he scored the Saints' first touchdown in their 31–17 win in Super Bowl XLIV, two weeks after he had scored two touchdowns in the Saints' 2009 NFC Championship game victory.

Quick Facts

Position

Running back

Born

18 December 1984

Birthplace

Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

High school

T. F. South (Lansing, Illinois)

College

Illinois (2003–2006)

Former teams

New Orleans Saints (2007–2014)
San Francisco 49ers (2015)
Washington Redskins (2015)

Highlights

Super Bowl champion (XLIV)
PFWA All-Rookie Team (2007)
New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame

Facts from the source article.

Background

Thomas played high school football at Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing, Illinois, where he ran for 5,565 yards and 88 touchdowns in his career. He was twice named to the all-state teams of the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times and as a senior he was player of the year for the Champaign News-Gazette. Some of his self-taught practice for high school football included running up a steep hill with a backpack full of books on and pushing cars around. He was recruited by the University of Illinois. He led the team in rushing for three seasons. In 40 games he ran for 2,545 yards (6th all-time in Illinois history) and 20 touchdowns, had 57 catches for 411 yards and 3 touchdowns, and a total of 4,451 all-purpose yards (then second all-time at Illinois). Nevertheless, he was not invited to the NFL Combine, and ultimately he was not selected in the 2007 NFL draft.