Tra Thomas
American football player and coach (born 1974)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William "Tra" Thomas III (born November 20, 1974) is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive line coach for IMG Academy. He played as an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL), primarily for the Philadelphia Eagles. Thomas played college football for the Florida State Seminoles. He was selected by the Eagles with the 11th overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft. He played for the Eagles for 11 seasons, from 1998–2008.
DeLand, Florida, U.S.
Thomas during his tenure with the Eagles | |||||||||
| No. 72 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | November 20, 1974 DeLand, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 316 lb (143 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | DeLand | ||||||||
| College | Florida State | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1998: 1st round, 11th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
Playing | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
Coaching | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Thomas was also a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers. He was a one-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowl selection in his career.
Early life
Thomas attended DeLand High School in DeLand, Florida and was a letterman in football.
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 7+3⁄4 in (2.03 m) | 349 lb (158 kg) | 36+1⁄2 in (0.93 m) | 10+1⁄4 in (0.26 m) | 24 reps | ||||||||
| All values from NFL Combine[1] | ||||||||||||
Philadelphia Eagles
Thomas was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft.[2] He played for the Eagles from 1998–2008, starting 165 of 166 games at left offensive tackle. He made three Pro Bowls with the Eagles.
Jacksonville Jaguars
On March 9, 2009, Thomas signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent.[3] He was released on February 11, 2010.
San Diego Chargers
Thomas was signed by the San Diego Chargers to a one-year contract on June 9, 2010. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee during training camp.[4]
Retirement
Thomas officially retired from the NFL as a Philadelphia Eagle on August 16, 2012.
Coaching career
Thomas rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles as a coaching intern in 2013, working primarily with the offensive line. He was hired following training camp as an offensive assistant coach. His contract expired after the 2014 season and he was not re-signed.[5]
He is currently the offensive line coach at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
Broadcast career
In 2011, Thomas replaced Vaughn Hebron as an analyst for Eagles Post Game Live on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which airs after every Philadelphia Eagles game. In 2019, Thomas joined 97.5 WPEN for their morning broadcast with Marc Farzetta. On March 31, 2020, Thomas was let go from 97.5 due to cutbacks by Beasely Media Group.[6]
Name changes
Thomas' given name is William Thomas III; during the Ray Rhodes era, the Eagles had a Pro Bowl linebacker also named William Thomas. During his early years in the NFL, Thomas was referred to by his nickname, "Tra". However, before the 2006 season, Thomas requested to be called William Thomas. In April 2008, he decided to return to Tra Thomas after the name William failed to catch on.[7]
