Blair Thomas

He finished second on the Nittany Lions’s all-time rushing list with 3,301 yards and 21 touchdowns, 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 in recreation and parks management at Penn State University in 1989.

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

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.

Thomas served as running backs coach at Temple University for eight seasons, from 1998–2005. He played a key role in the development of Chicago Bears fullback Jason McKie, and Jacksonville Jaguars running back Stacey Mack. Thomas was responsible for recruiting in Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey. He was also the team’s NFL liaison and summer football camp coordinator.

On June 15, 1995, he signed with the Atlanta Falcons, but was released on August 21. On November 7, he was signed by the Carolina Panthers for depth purposes while Derrick Moore was out with a knee injury.

On March 31, 1994, he was signed as a free agent by the New England Patriots. 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 Bruce Walker. On December 1, he was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to be the backup for Emmitt Smith. In the Cowboys divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, Thomas took over for an injured Smith and rushed for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in the 35-9 win.

In his second season, head coach Bruce Coslet still used him in the same four-man running back rotation, but his carries increased to 189, finishing with 728 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns. In 1992, a series of injuries limited him to 9 games (7 starts), registering 440 yards on 97 carries.

Thomas was selected by the New York Jets in the first round (second overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft and 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. He posted 620 yards on only 123 carries, leading the NFL rookies in yards-per-carry (5 yards) and the AFC rookies in rushing yardage.

Thomas accepted a football scholarship from Penn State University. He was a backup on the 1986 National Championship team, tallying 504 yards on 60 carries and 5 touchdowns. In 1987, he became a starter as a junior for head coach Joe Paterno, posting 1,414 yards on 268 carries and 11 touchdowns. In 1988, he was lost for the season with a serious right knee injury.

Blair Lamar Thomas (born October 7, 1967) is a former professional American football running back in the National Football League for the New York Jets, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers. He played college football at Penn State University.