John Thornton
Encyclopedia
John Jason Thornton is a former American football
defensive tackle of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at West Virginia
.
In addition to four years in Tennsseee, Thornton also played six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals
. He retired following the 2008 season
.
for relatives of veterans.
and was a two-time All-Big East selection. As a senior, he was defensive co-captain
and earned First-team All-America
honors from The Sports Network
. He also started
every game his last three seasons.
by the Tennessee Titans
in the second round (52nd overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
. He made his debut against the Cincinnati Bengals
on September 12 and recorded one tackle
. During the regular season
he made 4.5 sacks
which was the most made by any rookie
defensive tackle. He appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV
for the Titans against the St. Louis Rams
.
In 2000
, Thornton started in every game for the Titans and finished the season with 55 tackles. He recorded eight tackles, his seasonhigh in the game at the Buffalo Bills
on September 3. Due to a shoulder injury, he only played in the first three games in 2001
. In 2002
, just as he did in 2000, he started in every game for the Titans and was part of the defense
that limited their opponents to 89.0 rushing yards per game. He recorded 44 tackles in the regular season.
, Thornton signed with the Cincinnati Bengals
and recorded a career-high six sacks. In 2004
, he started in every game and recorded 74 tackles. In 2005
, he played 16 games, making 24 solo tackles, 18 assists, and two sacks. In 2006
, he played 15 games, making 28 solo tackles, 15 assists, and two sacks. In 2007
, he played 14 games, making 24 solo tackles, eight assists, and one sack. In 2008
, he played in 13 games, recording 24 solo tackles, six assists and three sacks.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at West Virginia
West Virginia Mountaineers football
The West Virginia Mountaineers football team represents West Virginia University in the NCAA FBS division of college football. Dana Holgorsen is the team's 33rd head coach. He has held the position since he was promoted in June 2011 after the resignation of Bill Stewart. The Mountaineers play their...
.
In addition to four years in Tennsseee, Thornton also played six seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. He retired following the 2008 season
2008 NFL season
The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now."Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on February 1, 2009, with the Pittsburgh Steelers coming out victorious over the...
.
Early years
Thornton attended Scotland School for Veterans' Children, a residential schoolBoarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
for relatives of veterans.
College career
Thornton attended West Virginia UniversityWest Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
and was a two-time All-Big East selection. As a senior, he was defensive co-captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
and earned First-team All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
honors from The Sports Network
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
. He also started
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
every game his last three seasons.
Tennessee Titans
Thornton was draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
by the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
in the second round (52nd overall) in the 1999 NFL Draft
1999 NFL Draft
The 1999 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 17-18, 1999...
. He made his debut against the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
on September 12 and recorded one tackle
Tackle (football move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....
. During the regular season
Regular season (NFL)
The National Football League regular season begins the weekend after Labor Day. Each team plays 16 games during a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of each week's games are played on Sunday afternoon, with weekly games on Sunday night and Monday night, and occasional games on Thursday...
he made 4.5 sacks
Quarterback sack
In American football and Canadian football, a sack occurs when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before he can throw a forward pass, or when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the "pocket" and the intent of what he was going to do is unclear...
which was the most made by any rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
defensive tackle. He appeared in Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV
Super Bowl XXXIV featured the National Football Conference champion St. Louis Rams and the American Football Conference champion Tennessee Titans in an American football game to decide the National Football League champion for the 1999 regular season...
for the Titans against the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
.
In 2000
2000 Tennessee Titans season
The 2000 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 41st season and their 31st in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Standings:-AFC Divisional Playoff:...
, Thornton started in every game for the Titans and finished the season with 55 tackles. He recorded eight tackles, his seasonhigh in the game at the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on September 3. Due to a shoulder injury, he only played in the first three games in 2001
2001 Tennessee Titans season
The 2001 Tennessee Titans season was the Titans' 42nd season and their 32nd in the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Schedule:-Standings:-References:* *...
. In 2002
2002 Tennessee Titans season
The 2002 Tennessee Titans season was the 43rd season the team was with the league. The team improved upon their previous season's output of 7–9, managing eleven victories. The Titans qualified for the playoffs, but were unable to reach the Super Bowl, instead losing to the Oakland Raiders in the...
, just as he did in 2000, he started in every game for the Titans and was part of the defense
Defense (sport)
In many team sports, defense or defence is the action of preventing an opponent from scoring. The term may also refer to the tactics involved in defense, or a sub-team whose primary responsibility is defense...
that limited their opponents to 89.0 rushing yards per game. He recorded 44 tackles in the regular season.
Cincinnati Bengals
In 20032003 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2003 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 36th year in professional football and its 34th with the National Football League. The Bengals are now under first year Head Coach Marvin Lewis, who replaced Dick LeBeau who was fired following the 2002 season for the worst season in Bengals history...
, Thornton signed with the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
and recorded a career-high six sacks. In 2004
2004 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2004 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 37th year in professional football and its 35th with the National Football League.-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-References:* * *...
, he started in every game and recorded 74 tackles. In 2005
2005 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2005 Cincinnati Bengals season was the team's 38th year in professional football and its 36th with the National Football League.-NFL Draft:-Staff:-Roster:-Schedule:-Postseason:...
, he played 16 games, making 24 solo tackles, 18 assists, and two sacks. In 2006
2006 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2006 Cincinnati Bengals season began with the team trying to improve on their 11–5 record in 2005, defending their AFC North Division Championship title, and progress further through the playoffs than they made in the 2005 season having lost to Pittsburgh in the 1st round after losing star...
, he played 15 games, making 28 solo tackles, 15 assists, and two sacks. In 2007
2007 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2007 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 38th season for the team in the National Football League and their 40th overall season. The team attempted to improve upon their 8–8 record in 2006 and were looking to return to the playoffs after narrowly missing them...
, he played 14 games, making 24 solo tackles, eight assists, and one sack. In 2008
2008 Cincinnati Bengals season
The 2008 Cincinnati Bengals season was the 39th season for the team in the National Football League and their 41st overall season. The team finished the season with 4 wins, 11 losses, and 1 tie, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the 3rd consecutive year.-Coaching changes:This season marked...
, he played in 13 games, recording 24 solo tackles, six assists and three sacks.