Willie Thornton (Canadian football)

Willie Thornton
Date of birth (1986-02-15) February 15, 1986 (age 38)
Place of birthBelle Glade, Florida, U.S.
Career information
CFL statusInternational
Position(s)WR
Height5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight180 lb (82 kg)
US collegeTexas A&M-Commerce
NFL draft2009 / undrafted
Career history
As player
2009Edmonton Eskimos*
2010Hamilton Tiger-Cats
*Offseason and/or practice roster member only
Career stats

William Thornton (born February 15, 1986) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver. He played college football at Texas A&M-Commerce, and played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2010.

College career

Thornton played college football at Texas A&M-Commerce. On September 20, 2008, he caught seven passes for 266 yards in a 38-14 win against Eastern New Mexico. Thornton also had four touchdown catches in the game, including one for 98 yards on the opening play.[1] As a result, he was named Lone Star Conference North player of the week.[2] As a senior, Thornton caught 48 passes for 923 yards and 10 touchdowns.[3]

Professional career

Thornton was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos during training camp in 2009.[4]

Thornton signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 26, 2010,[4] but he was sustained torn thumb ligaments during a collision with another player in training camp.[5] He was released on June 8, 2010.[6] He was signed to the team's practice roster on September 8, 2010,[6] and released on September 29.[7] He was re-signed to the practice roster on October 11.[8] He was promoted to the active roster on November 4,[9] and played in the team's November 6 game against the BC Lions.[10] He was released by the Tiger-Cats in April 2011.[11]

References

  1. ^ "North favorite Texas A&M-Commerce routs Hounds". Eastern New Mexico News. September 21, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "Football: Divisional Play Starts this Week". Lone Star Conference. September 22, 2008. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  3. ^ "CFL Briefs". The Hamilton Spectator. May 21, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "Tiger-Cats sign five on offence". CFL.ca. May 26, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Cats have eye on Ricky Foley". The Hamilton Spectator. September 9, 2010.
  6. ^ a b "Tiger-Cats Sign WR Willie Thornton". TiCats.ca. June 8, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  7. ^ "Ticats Add WR Mayle To Practice Roster". TiCats.ca. September 29, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tiger-Cats Transactions: October 11". TiCats.ca. October 11, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  9. ^ "Ticats make roster moves: Bruce not expected to play". DurhamRegion.com. November 4, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  10. ^ "2010-11-06 Game Tracker". CFL.ca. November 6, 2010. Retrieved October 29, 2020.
  11. ^ "Ticats release LB Shannon James, DB Will Heyward, WR Willie Thornton". The Hamilton Spectator. April 9, 2011.