David Dontay Thornton (born November 1, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels. In 2012, Thornton joined the Colts as the director of player engagement.
College career Thornton played college football at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was teammates with Julius Peppers, and Ryan Sims. Originally a walk-on for the Tar Heels, Thornton's play eventually earned him a scholarship. In his senior year, he was named second-team All-ACC and team MVP.
Professional career
Indianapolis Colts Thornton was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft. Thornton best season came in 2003 when he led the Colts with 145 tackles and made two interceptions. In the 2005 season Thornton made 83 tackles and two quarterback sacks.
Tennessee Titans He became an unrestricted free agent and signed a five-year deal with the Titans on March 13, 2006 . After missing the 2010 season due to a hip injury, he retired on August 5, 2011.
NFL career statistics
Regular season Tackles Interceptions Fumbles Year Team GP GS Comb Solo Ast Sck PDef Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR TD 2002 IND 15 0453690.0100 0.0 0.0 0 000 2003 IND 16 16 145 11233 1.0 5 2 3 2.02.000 0 0 2004 IND 16 15 94 7123 0.0 1 1 5 5.0 5.0 0 20 0 2005 IND 16 168361 22 2.01 0 0 0.0 0 0 2 0 0 2006 TEN 16 13 109 87 22 0.0 5 0 0 0.0 0 0 20 0 2007 TEN 16 16 122 93 29 1.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 01 0 2008 TEN 15 15 78 6018 0.0 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 20 0 2009 TEN 11 11 60 46 14 1.00 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 2010 TEN Did not play due to injuryCareer 121 102 736 566 170 5.0 25 3 8 2.5 5.0 0 81 0
Post-playing career In 2012, he became the director of player engagement with the Colts. In 2023, he was promoted to Vice President of Player Engagement with the Colts.
References