James Frederick Thrower (born November 6, 1947) is a former American football defensive back. In 2022 he was inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame.[1]
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| Position: | Defensive back | ||||||
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| Born: | November 6, 1947 Camden, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Texas A&M–Commerce | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 1970 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Thrower was born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1947. He attended Lincoln High School and played college football at Texas A&M–Commerce.[2] He also exceled at track and field and basketball, and was inducted into the university's athletic hall of fame.[1]
Thrower played professional football as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1970 to 1972.[2][3][4] He was fired by the Eagles in November 1972.[5]
He next played for the Detroit Lions during the 1973 and 1974 seasons.[2] While with the Lions, he was a backup to cornerback Lem Barney and also served as captain of the special team unit. He was also a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.[6] During the 1975, was placed on the injured reserve list. The Detroit Free Press called him the captain of the injured reserve list.[7]
In three years in the NFL, Thrower appeared in a total of 46 NFL games, four of them as a starter.[2]
After retiring from football, Thrower worked for the Stroh Brewery Co. and later Michigan Consolidated Gas Co. He was also a leading fundraiser for the NAACP.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Ketty Lester, James Thrower among Arkansas Black Hall of Fame inductees". Magnolia Reporter - Magnolia, Arkansas News. September 9, 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Jim Thrower". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
- ^ Bill Shefski (October 18, 1972). "No Prevent Defense For Thrower's Boos". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 60 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Gordon Forbes (December 8, 1970). "Eagles Try Jim Thrower Where Others Have Failed". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 25 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Shefski (November 3, 1972). "Eagles Fire Thrower Just As Tipster Warned". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 82 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Richard L. Dancz (June 5, 1975). "Thrower Is A Lion . . . Detroit Variety". The Ludington Daily News. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Jack Saylor (November 21, 1975). "Injured Lions Have Their Own Captain". Detroit Free Press. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Susan Watson (August 21, 1985). "Former star athlete still seeks big play". Detroit Free Press. p. A3 – via Newspapers.com.