Walter Thomas (football player)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article may not meet the notability guideline for biographies. If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand or rewrite the article to establish its notability. The best way to address this concern is to reference published, third-party sources about the subject. If notability cannot be established, the article is more likely to be considered for redirection, merge or ultimately deletion, per Wikipedia:Guide to deletion.
This article has been tagged since February 2008.
Walter Thomas
Date of birth: May 20, 1985 (1985-05-20) (age 23)
Place of birth: Flag of the United States Galveston, TX
Career information
Position(s): Defensive Tackle
Height: 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight: 370 lb (168 kg)
College: Oklahoma State
Northwest Mississippi CC
Organizations
 As player:
2007 (mini-camp only) New Orleans Saints

Walter Thomas (born May 20, 1985[1]) is an American football defensive tackle. He is currently a free agent.

Contents

[edit] Pro Career

Thomas registered for, but was not selected during the 2007 NFL Draft. Although his lack of playing time in college and previous arrest are hindrances, he significantly raised his profile after taking part in Texas vs. The Nation All-Star Classic as well as participating in a Pro-Day he was invited to at Mississippi State University (he did not attend the school).[2][3] Known as "Great Wall," scouts and draft experts gave Thomas high reviews and expected the "sleeper" candidate to be taken in the second day of the draft.[2] Thomas is considered exceptionally fast for his large size, and can execute gymnastic maneuvers such as flips and cartwheels.[2][4]

Thomas was signed by the New Orleans Saints on April 30, 2007, as an undrafted free agent. Thomas was cut after 12 minutes into the first mini-camp from the team due to lack of conditioning. [5]

[edit] College career

Thomas played at Oklahoma State University as a freshman in 2004, appearing in 11 games.[6] Academic problems forced him to leave the school before his sophomore season.[2] He spent 2005 trying to regain his academic eligibility and in 2006 went to Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi. He played a total of two games at NW Mississippi before an arrest on a charge of conspiracy to commit robbery.[2] He did not play college football again after the arrest.

[edit] High School Career

Thomas played at Ball High School in Galveston, Texas, where he was highly recruited by a number of Big 12 Conference schools before selecting Oklahoma State.[4]

[edit] Trivia

  • Wears a size XXXXXXL jersey.
  • Bench presses 505 pounds & squats 800 pounds.
  • Has 11½-inch hands and size 16 feet.
  • Thomas is part of Galveston-based hip-hop group called Tre Side.
  • Thomas, at 370 pounds, can perfectly execute a full frontflip.

[edit] Links and references

  1. ^ ESPN - Walter Thomas Stats, News, Photos - Oklahoma State Cowboys - NCAA College Football
  2. ^ a b c d e Lee Jenkins, For N.F.L. Draft, the Biggest (XXXXXXL) Sleeper, The New York Times, April 25, 2007.
  3. ^ Texas vs The Nation Bowl Coverage, DraftDaddy.com, February 1, 2007.
  4. ^ a b John Murphy, High-rising prospects, Yahoo! Sports, April 9, 2007.
  5. ^ Benjamin Hochman,Big gamble on defensive end doesn't pay off
  6. ^ 2004 Season Statistics, Oklahoma State University Athletic Department.