Hugh Thornton (American football)

Hugh Thornton (born June 28, 1991) is a professional gridiron football offensive tackle for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Illinois, and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Thornton has also been a member of the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Hotshots.

Hugh Thornton
refer to caption
Thornton with the Stampeders in 2022
No. 61 – Calgary Stampeders
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1991-06-28) June 28, 1991
Boise, Idaho, U.S.
Height:6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Oberlin (OH)
College:Illinois
NFL Draft:2013 / Round: 3 / Pick: 86
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
CFL status:American
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:37
Games started:32
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Thornton attended Oberlin High School in Oberlin, Ohio, and played for the Oberlin Phoenix high school football team. He also wrestled for the Oberlin HS wrestling team and in the 2008-2009 season placed third in Ohio at the OSHAA state tournament.

College career

Thornton enrolled in the University of Illinois, where he played for the Illinois Fighting Illini football team from 2009 to 2012. Following his senior season in 2012, he was recognized as a second-team All-Big Ten Conference selection.

Professional career

Indianapolis Colts
Thornton in 2015 at training camp

The Indianapolis Colts chose Thornton in the third round (86th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[1] He began his rookie season as a backup to Mike McGlynn and Donald Thomas at offensive guard. However, he was made a starter after Thomas sustained a season ending quadriceps tear in a week two loss to the Miami Dolphins, and would go on to start 12 regular season games at left guard as a rookie, in addition to the two playoff games that the Colts played in that postseason. In 2014, Thornton appeared in 10 games, 8 as a starter.

On December 28, 2015, Thornton was placed on injured reserve. He played in 13 games in the 2015 season, 12 as a starter.[2]

On September 3, 2016, Thornton was placed on injured reserve.[3]

Atlanta Falcons

On March 21, 2017, Thornton signed with the Atlanta Falcons.[4] On May 9, 2017, Thornton announced his retirement.[5]

Arizona Hotshots

In 2019, Thornton came out of retirement and joined the Arizona Hotshots of the Alliance of American Football.[6] He was placed on injured reserve on January 30, 2019.[7] He was activated from injured reserve on March 13, 2019.

Washington Redskins

On July 31, 2019, Thornton signed with the Washington Redskins.[8] He was waived on August 31, 2019.[9]

Calgary Stampeders

On April 8, 2022, Thornton signed with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).[10]

Personal

When Thornton was twelve years old, his mother and sister were murdered by his mother's ex-boyfriend in his childhood home in Jamaica.[11]

References
  1. "Colts Select Hugh Thornton on Day 2 on NFL Draft". FightingIllini.com. April 26, 2013. Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  2. "Indianapolis Colts make roster moves". blogs.colts.com. December 28, 2015. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  3. Bowen, Kevin (September 3, 2016). "Colts Make Final Cuts, Assemble 53-Man Roster". Colts.com. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017.
  4. Jackson, Curtis (March 21, 2017). "Falcons Sign FB Coleman, G Thornton, and FB Vainuku". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  5. Jackson, Curtis (May 9, 2017). "Hugh Thornton announces his retirement". AtlantaFalcons.com. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  6. Huett, Wes (January 28, 2019). "New Alliance of American Football includes players and coaches with ties to Illinois". Journal Star. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  7. "Arizona Hotshots Week One Game Time Changed". Our Sports Central. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  8. Copeland, Kareem; Carpenter, Les. "Redskins sign offensive tackle Donald Penn, guard Hugh Thornton". Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  9. "Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. August 31, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  10. "Transactions- Football Player Trades and Signings". cfl.ca. April 8, 2022. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  11. Florio, Mike (May 12, 2013). "Hugh Thornton brings sad, unique story to Colts". NBCSports.com. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
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