 Thurmond with theSeattle Seahawks in 2011 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 28, 24, 26 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Safety | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1987-08-12)August 12, 1987 (age 38) Los Angeles, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | West Covina(West Covina, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Oregon | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2010: 4th round, 111th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Walter Riley Thurmond III (born August 12, 1987) is an American former professionalfootball player who was asafety in theNational Football League. He was selected by theSeattle Seahawks in the fourth round of the2010 NFL draft. He wonSuper Bowl XLVIII with the Seahawks over theDenver Broncos, and he also played for theNew York Giants andPhiladelphia Eagles. He playedcollege football for theOregon Ducks.
Thurmond was a founding member of the Seahawks defensive unit nicknamed theLegion of Boom.
Thurmond attendedWest Covina High School inWest Covina, California, where he was a two-sport star in both football and track. Considered one of California's fastest players, he helped lead West Covina to theCIF Southern Section Division VII championship and a 11–2–1. He recorded 29 receptions for 730 yards and seven touchdowns his senior season in addition to rushing for more than 400 yards and two more scores. He added 85tackles and fiveinterceptions to earn All-San Gabriel Valley Region honors. He also received All-CIF Southern Section second-team plaudits as awide receiver in 2004 after attracting first-team All-San Antonio League, All-CIF And all-Valley attention following his 2003 campaign.[1]
Also a standout intrack & field, Thurmond made it to the finals of the 2005USATF Junior Championships in the 110m hurdles, placing eight (14.65 s). As a junior, he ran a season-best time of 14.29 seconds, and in the CIF State Meet, he missed the final by only .10 seconds. He owned personal-bests of 14.16 seconds in the110m hurdles, 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) in thehigh jump and 15 ft 7 in (4.75 m) in thepole vault.[2]
Thurmond played football and ran track at theUniversity of Oregon from 2005 to 2009. He became a starter as aredshirt freshman in 2006, earning honorable mention for the all-Pac-10 team.[3] Thurmond III once again was awarded an honorable mention all-Pac-10 in 2007.[4] After battling injuries in2008, Thurmond III finished with 5 interceptions, along with one in the2008 Holiday Bowl.[3][5]
On September 26 againstCal, Thurmond III was hurt and did not return after a hit to the knee on the opening kickoff return. It was later determined that Thurmond III had torn three ligaments in his knee, and would miss the remainder of the2009 season.[6]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft10+3⁄4 in (1.80 m) | 189 lb (86 kg) | 32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) | 9+5⁄8 in (0.24 m) | |||||||||
| All values fromNFL Combine | ||||||||||||
Thurmond was drafted by theSeattle Seahawks in the fourth round (111th overall) of the2010 NFL draft.[7] He was signed to a contract on June 17, 2010. He was expected to replaceKelly Jennings as the starting corner for the 2011 season.[8]
On October 24, 2011, Thurmond was placed oninjured reserve with a broken fibula and high ankle sprain, ending his season.
Before the 2013 NFL season, Thurmond's previous seasons were hampered by injuries that ultimately delayed his development. Thurmond began the 2013 NFL season serving a four-game suspension then returned to replaceBrandon Browner who had lost trail speed and was less effective in slot coverage. The Seahawks' secondary would ultimately thrive in 2013 with him, Brandon Browner,Richard Sherman,Kam Chancellor,Earl Thomas, andByron Maxwell all excelling together as theLegion of Boom. Thurmond defended the slot throughout the season and stepped in for the suspended Browner in the postseason to help the Seahawks franchise win its firstSuper Bowl, defeating theDenver Broncos, 43–8.[9] After the success of the Seahawks' secondary, Thurmond became a coveted free agent along with former teammate Brandon Browner.[10]
Thurmond was signed to a one-year deal with theNew York Giants on March 16, 2014.[11][12] On September 15, Thurmond was placed oninjured reserve after a tornpectoral sustained in a Week 2 game against theArizona Cardinals.[13]
On March 11, 2015, Thurmond signed a one-year deal with thePhiladelphia Eagles.[14]
During the off-season, Thurmond changed position to safety due to the team's lack of depth at the position. He started the season strong, intercepting 3 passes in the first 5 games, which at the time made him the NFL's co-leader in interceptions. On November 15, 2015, Thurmond converted a safety against the Dolphins in a 20–19 loss.
In a week 17 win over the Giants, his former team, he interceptedEli Manning and returned it 83 yards for a touchdown. This is recorded in professional game logs as a fumble recovery and does not count towards his interception total.
Thurmond had his best year statistically, with 71 tackles, 3 interceptions, 7 pass deflections, 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 safety, all career highs.
Although Thurmond was a sought after free agent and had offers of over $4 million per year, Thurmond decided to retire on May 31, 2016.[15][16]
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | SEA | 14 | 1 | 37 | 33 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | SEA | 6 | 3 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | SEA | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | SEA | 12 | 3 | 33 | 24 | 9 | 1.0 | 3 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 |
| 2014 | NYG | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015 | PHI | 16 | 16 | 71 | 52 | 19 | 2.0 | 3 | 3 | 67 | 0 | 44 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 83 | 1 |
| 52 | 25 | 160 | 121 | 39 | 3.0 | 8 | 4 | 96 | 1 | 44 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 81 | 1 | ||
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2010 | SEA | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2013 | SEA | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
