| No. 15 | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | (1978-07-12)July 12, 1978 (age 46) Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 224 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Norman (Norman, Oklahoma) |
| College: | Oklahoma |
| Undrafted: | 2001 |
| Career history | |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
J. T. Thatcher (born July 12, 1978) is an American formercollege football player who was adefensive back for theOklahoma Sooners. He was named a consensusAll-American in 2000.
J. T. Thatcher was born inOklahoma City, Oklahoma, on July 12, 1978.[1][2] He attendedNorman High School inNorman, Oklahoma.[3]
Thatcher was a member of theOklahoma Sooners of theUniversity of Oklahoma from 1997 to 2000.[3] He played bothwide receiver andrunning back in 1997, totaling 21carries for 54 yards and one touchdown and four receptions for 45 yards.[4][5] He was listed as a running back in 1998 but did not play any.[3] Thatcher was moved to defensive back in 1999 but appeared on special teams for most of the season, returning four punts for 146 yards and one touchdown.[5] In 2000, he started the first seven games of the season at defensive back.[5] He was then benched for performance for two games before returning as the starter.[5] Overall, he recorded 60 tackles, eight interceptions for 162 yards and one touchdown, and 16 pass breakups while also returning 38 punts for 599 yards and two touchdowns and 11 kicks for 264 yards.[5][4] He led theBig 12 Conference in interceptions, interception return yards, interception return touchdown, punt returns, and punt return yards that season.[4] Thatcher also finished third in the country in interceptions, third in punt returns, and second in punt return yards.[4] He was named a consensusAll-American for his performance during the 2000 season.[4][6] The2000 Sooners were consensus national champions. Thatcher also won theMosi Tatupu Award in 2000, given to the best special teams player in the country.[7]
Thatcher was rated the 15th bestfree safety in the2001 NFL draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[8]Pro Football Weekly stated that Thatcher "Can make a team with his return skills and possibly develop as a defensive back with lots of reps and more experience."[5] He signed with theSan Francisco 49ers in April 2001 after going undrafted.[9][10] He was released in June 2001.[11][10] Thatcher also spent time with theOakland Raiders and was released on April 21, 2002.[2][12][10]