David Thornton (American football)

For other people named David Thornton, see David Thornton (disambiguation).

David Thornton
Indianapolis Colts
Position:Vice president of player engagement
Personal information
Born: (1978-11-01) November 1, 1978 (age 46)
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 (2012–2022)
    Director of player engagement
  • Indianapolis Colts (2023-present)
    Vice president of player engagement
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:736
Sacks:5.0
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:1
Interceptions:5
Stats at Pro Football Reference

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.

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 [1]. After missing the 2010 season due to a hip injury, he retired on August 5, 2011.[2]

NFL career statistics

Regular season Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Year Team GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD
2002 IND 15 0 45 36 9 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2003 IND 16 16 145 112 33 1.0 5 2 3 2.0 2.0 0 0 0 0
2004 IND 16 15 94 71 23 0.0 1 1 5 5.0 5.0 0 2 0 0
2005 IND 16 16 83 61 22 2.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0
2006 TEN 16 13 109 87 22 0.0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0
2007 TEN 16 16 122 93 29 1.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0
2008 TEN 15 15 78 60 18 0.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0
2009 TEN 11 11 60 46 14 1.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0
2010 TEN Did not play due to injury
Career 121 102 736 566 170 5.0 25 3 8 2.5 5.0 0 8 1 0

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]

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".



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