Anthony Jermaine Thomas (born November 7, 1977 in
Winnfield, Louisiana) is an American football
running back who is currently a free agent. He was
originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the
second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He played
college football at Michigan.
As a rookie with the Bears in 2001, rushed for over
1,100 yards and seven touchdowns to earn the AP NFL
Offensive Rookie of the Year Award. He has also
played for the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints
and Buffalo Bills in his career.
At Winnfield Senior High School, he starred on the
basketball, track, and football teams. He set a
state record with 106 career touchdowns while
playing both running back and placekicker. He was
named a first-team All-American and rated as the
second-best running back in the country by the Prep
Football Report.
Thomas was selected in the second round (38th
overall) of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears.
Nicknamed "A-Train" due to his power-running style,
he powered his way to 1,183 rushing yards and the
NFL Rookie of the Year Award. With the emergence of
Thomas Jones in Chicago, he signed with the Dallas
Cowboys in 2005 as the backup running back to Julius
Jones. Thomas' ineffectiveness in limited duty, his
inability to play special teams, and the emergence
of Marion Barber III as the primary backup led
Dallas to release him in November 2005. He was
quickly signed by New Orleans after they lost Deuce
McAllister with a season ending knee injury, and
split rushing duties with Aaron Stecker. On April
28, 2006, Thomas signed with the Buffalo Bills.
