No. 49, 21 | |||||||
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Position: | Defensive back | ||||||
Personal information | |||||||
Born: | Camden, Arkansas, U.S. | November 6, 1947||||||
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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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]
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]