 Thomas during his tenure with the Eagles | |||||||||
| No. 72 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive tackle | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | (1974-11-20)November 20, 1974 (age 50) DeLand, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 316 lb (143 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | DeLand | ||||||||
| College: | Florida State | ||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1998: 1st round, 11th pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
As a player: | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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William "Tra"Thomas III (born November 20, 1974) is an Americanfootball coach and former player who is theoffensive line coach forIMG Academy. He played as anoffensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL), primarily for thePhiladelphia Eagles. Thomas playedcollege football for theFlorida State Seminoles. He was selected by the Eagles with the 11th overall pick in the1998 NFL draft. He played for the Eagles for 11 seasons, from1998–2008.
Thomas was also a member of theJacksonville Jaguars andSan Diego Chargers. He was a one-timeAll-Pro and three-timePro Bowl selection in his career.
Thomas attendedDeLand High School in DeLand, Florida and was aletterman infootball.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | Bench press | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft7+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] | ||||||||||||
Thomas was selected by thePhiladelphia Eagles in the first round with the 11th overall pick in the1998 NFL draft.[2] He played for the Eagles from1998–2008, starting 165 of 166 games at left offensive tackle. He made threePro Bowls with the Eagles.
On March 9, 2009, Thomas signed with theJacksonville Jaguars as afree agent.[3] He was released on February 11, 2010.
Thomas was signed by theSan Diego Chargers to a one-year contract on June 9, 2010. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his knee during training camp.[4]
Thomas officially retired from the NFL as a Philadelphia Eagle on August 16, 2012.
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.
In 2011, Thomas replacedVaughn Hebron as an analyst forEagles Post Game Live onComcast SportsNet Philadelphia, which airs after everyPhiladelphia 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]
Thomas' given name is William Thomas III; during theRay Rhodes era, the Eagles had aPro Bowl linebacker also namedWilliam Thomas. During his early years in the NFL, Thomas was referred to by his nickname, "Tra". However, before the2006 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]
