David Thornton (American football)

Last updated

David Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
Position:Director of player engagement
Personal information
Born: (1978-11-01) November 1, 1978 (age 45)
Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school: Goldsboro
College: North Carolina
NFL draft: 2002  / Round: 4 / Pick: 106
Career history
As a player:
As an executive:
  • Indianapolis Colts (2012–present)
    Director of player engagement
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:736
Sacks:5.0
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:5
Player stats at PFR

David Dontay Thornton (born November 1, 1978) is a former linebacker who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). In 2012, Thornton joined the Colts as the director of player engagement.

Contents

College career

Thornton played college football at the University of North Carolina where he was teammates with Julius Peppers, and Ryan Sims. Originally a walk-on, Thornton's play eventually earned him a scholarship. In his senior year, Thornton was named second-team All-ACC and team MVP.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts

Thornton was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. [1] Thornton best season came in 2003 when he led the Colts with 145 tackles and made two interceptions. In the 2005 season Thornton made 83 tackles and two quarterback sacks.

Tennessee Titans

He became an unrestricted free agent and signed a five-year deal with the Titans on March 13, 2006 . After missing the 2010 season due to a hip injury, he retired on August 5, 2011. [2]

NFL career statistics

Regular seasonTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
YearTeamGPGSCombSoloAstSckPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDFFFRTD
2002 IND 150453690.01000.00.00000
2003 IND 1616145112331.05232.02.00000
2004 IND 16159471230.01155.05.00200
2005 IND 16168361222.01000.000200
2006 TEN 161310987220.05000.000200
2007 TEN 161612293291.06000.000010
2008 TEN 15157860180.06000.000200
2009 TEN 11116046141.00000.000100
2010 TEN Did not play due to injury
Career1211027365661705.025382.55.00810

Post-playing career

In 2012, he became the director of player engagement with the Colts. In 2023, he was promoted to Vice President of Player Engagement with the Colts. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Mawae</span> American football player and coach (born 1971)

Kevin James Mawae is an American football coach and former professional player. He played as a center in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, most notably with the New York Jets. Mawae played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning first-team All-SEC honors. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 1994 NFL draft. After joining the Jets in 1998, he received six consecutive Pro Bowl selections and five-first All-Pro honors during his eight seasons with the team. Mawae spent his final four seasons as a member of the Tennessee Titans, extending his Pro Bowl selections to eight and his first-team All-Pro honors to seven. Near the end of his career, he also served two terms as NFLPA president from 2008 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dallas Clark</span> American football player (born 1979)

Dallas Dean Clark is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Indianapolis Colts. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, earning unanimous All-American honors and recognition as the top college tight end in the nation. He was selected by Indianapolis in the first round of the 2003 NFL draft and he was a member of their Super Bowl XLI championship team against the Chicago Bears. He also played in the NFL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Baltimore Ravens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoine Winfield Sr.</span> American football player (born 1977)

Antoine Duane Winfield Sr. is an American former football cornerback who played for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-American honors and winning the Jim Thorpe Award. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft and played five seasons for the Bills and nine seasons for the Minnesota Vikings. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection as a member of the Vikings.

Rocky Michael Boiman is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. He currently works as a football color commentator for ESPN College Football.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D'Qwell Jackson</span> American football player (born 1983)

D'Qwell Jackson is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Scott (guard)</span> American gridiron football player (born 1981)

Jake Ross Scott is a former American football offensive guard. Scott played college football at Idaho, where he walked-on and became a four-year starter and was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2004 NFL Draft. With the Colts, Scott won Super Bowl XLI over the Chicago Bears. He also played for the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles and was a member of the Detroit Lions before his retirement.

John Michael Toudouze is a former American football offensive tackle. He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He played college football at TCU.

Samuel Jason Mathews is a former American football offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Indianapolis Colts (1994–1997) and the Tennessee Oilers/Titans (1998–2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerrell Freeman</span> American gridiron football player (born 1986)

Jerrell Alexander Freeman is a former American football linebacker. He played college football for the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders under Pete Fredenburg and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL) in 2008. He then played three seasons in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where he led the league in tackles 2011. In 2012, he signed with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL, and also later played for the Chicago Bears.

Al Mitchell Afalava is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also played for the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. He played in college for Oregon State University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean Spence</span> American football player (born 1990)

Sean Ryan Christopher Spence is a former American football linebacker. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Miami, where he was named 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year. Spence has also been a member of the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josh Chapman</span> American football player (born 1989)

Joshua Antron Chapman is a former American football nose tackle. He attended the University of Alabama and was selected in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. Chapman served as the backup to All-American Terrence Cody during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, and was regarded as one of the better nose guard prospects in his class.

Ryan Richard Grigson is an American football executive who is the senior vice president of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). From 2012 to 2016, he served as the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts.

Michael Kitome Echols is a former American football cornerback who played in both the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans. He played collegiately for the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Kelly (American football)</span> American football player (born 1990)

Dennis Andrew Kelly is an American football offensive tackle who is a free agent. He played college football at Purdue and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denico Autry</span> American football player (born 1990)

Denico Autry is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at East Mississippi Community College and Mississippi State, and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DeForest Buckner</span> American football player (born 1994)

DeForest George Buckner is an American football defensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon, and was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. With the 49ers, Buckner made a Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2019. With the Colts, he was selected to the first-team All Pro in 2020 and made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Farley</span> American football player (born 1992)

Matthias Farley is an American football free safety who is a free agent. He played college football at Notre Dame. Farley was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He has also played for the Indianapolis Colts, the New York Jets and the Tennessee Titans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaquille Leonard</span> American football player (born 1995)

Darius Shaquille Leonard is an American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina State and was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his rookie season, Leonard led the league in tackles and was named a First-Team All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year; he was also voted into the NFL Top 100 the following offseason. Leonard has been informally nicknamed "Maniac" due to his energetic and productive on-field play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant Stuard</span> American football player (born 1998)

Grant Stuard is an American football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Houston, and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the final pick in the 2021 NFL draft, making him that year's Mr. Irrelevant.

References

  1. "2002 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. "Ex-Titans LB Thornton retires after 9 seasons". ESPN.com. August 5, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  3. "David Thornton Uses His NFL Experience to Help Players on and off the Field".