{"id":13044,"date":"2017-08-06T18:11:59","date_gmt":"2017-08-06T23:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=13044"},"modified":"2017-08-06T18:11:59","modified_gmt":"2017-08-06T23:11:59","slug":"ladainian-tramayne-tomlinson-2017-national-football-leagues-inductee-into-the-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myboysay.com\/blog\/?p=13044","title":{"rendered":"LADAINIAN TRAMAYNE TOMLINSON, 2017 NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE’S INDUCTEE INTO THE HALL OF FAME"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"“LADAINIAN” “TRAMAYNE”<\/h1>\n

“TOMLINSON”<\/h1>\n

LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former professional American football<\/a> player who was a running back<\/a> in the National Football League<\/a> (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played the majority of his 11-year career with the San Diego Chargers<\/a>, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft<\/a>. Tomlinson was selected to five Pro Bowls<\/a>, was an All-Pro<\/a> six times, and won two rushing titles<\/a> (2006<\/a> and2007<\/a>). At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career rushing yards<\/a> (13,684), seventh in all-purpose yards (18,456), second in career rushing touchdowns<\/a> (145), and third in total touchdowns (162). He currently serves as an analyst on NFL Network<\/a>. After being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame<\/a> in 2014, Tomlinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame<\/a> in August 2017, his first year of eligibility.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tomlinson played college football<\/a> for Texas Christian University<\/a> (TCU), earned consensus All-American<\/a>honors, and was recognized as the best college running back. He spent nine seasons with the Chargers. During the 2006 NFL season<\/a>, he set several NFL touchdown<\/a> scoring records and received numerous honors and awards including the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award<\/a> and the Associated Press<\/a>‘s Offensive Player of the Year Award<\/a>. In 2010, he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets<\/a>, playing for two seasons before retiring after 2011.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Tomlinson is often referred to by his initials, L.T.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0An effective passer on halfback option<\/a> plays, Tomlinson threw seven touchdown passes and ranks second behind Walter Payton<\/a> (8) for non-quarterbacks<\/a> since theAFL\u2013NFL merger<\/a> in 1970.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0He was named to the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team<\/a> as one of the top running backs of the 2000s.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tomlinson was born to Loreane Chappelle and Oliver Tomlinson in Rosebud, Texas<\/a>. His father left the family and moved to his mother’s home after being severely injured during a working project when Tomlinson was seven years old.\u00a0<\/span>Tomlinson did not see his father very often afterwards, but always had a long distance relationship.\u00a0<\/span>His mother worked two jobs and also was a minister. At age nine, Tomlinson joined the Pop Warner Little Scholars<\/a> football program and scored a touchdown the first time he touched the ball.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tomlinson attended University High School<\/a> in Waco, Texas<\/a>, where he played basketball<\/a>, baseball<\/a>, football, and ran track. Tomlinson began his football<\/a> career as a linebacker<\/a>, but blossomed on the offensive side of the ball. Tomlinson amassed 2,554 yards and 39 touchdowns his senior year, earning honors as the District 25-4A Most Valuable Player, Super Centex Offensive Player of the Year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0He was named in the state all-star football team in 1997, which included future San Diego teammates Drew Brees<\/a> (Austin Westlake<\/a>) and Quentin Jammer<\/a> (Angleton<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0In track & field<\/a>, Tomlinson competed as a sprinter<\/a> and was a member of the Waco University 4 \u00d7 100 m<\/a> (41.82s) relay squad.\u00a0<\/sup>Tomlinson was an avid Dallas Cowboys<\/a> and Miami Hurricanes<\/a> fan during his youth. He idolized Walter Payton\u00a0<\/a>and admired Emmitt Smith<\/a>, Jim Brown<\/a>, Barry Sanders<\/a>.<\/sup><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tomlinson accepted an athletic scholarship<\/a> at Texas Christian University<\/a> in Fort Worth, Texas<\/a>, then a member of the Western Athletic Conference<\/a> (WAC). He played for the TCU Horned Frogs<\/a> from 1997 to 2000. Prior to Tomlinson’s arrival, TCU had appeared in only one bowl game in the previous 12 seasons (and two in the previous 34), and had recently been “downgraded” to a minor conference (the WAC) after the breakup of the Southwest Conference<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

During Tomlinson’s freshman and sophomore years, he split time with Basil Mitchell<\/a>. In the 1998 season he helped the Horned Frogs to their first bowl win in 41 years against the USC Trojans<\/a> in the Sun Bowl<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>During his junior season in 1999, he set an NCAA<\/a> FBS record for most rushing yards in a single game with 406 against\u00a0UTEP<\/a>; the record stood until 2014, when Wisconsin<\/a>‘s Melvin Gordon<\/a> rushed for 408 yards\u00a0<\/span>which was subsequently broken only one week later by Oklahoma<\/a>‘sSamaje Perine<\/a> after running for 427 yards against Kansas.\u00a0<\/span>Tomlinson finished his season with an NCAA-leading 1,850 yards rushing to go along with 18 touchdowns.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In his senior season in 2000, Tomlinson led the NCAA for the second time with 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns, and was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American.\u00a0<\/sup> He won the Doak Walker Award<\/a> as the nation’s best running back, and was a finalist for the 2000 Heisman Trophy<\/a>, but came in fourth in the voting. He completed his college career with 5,263 rushing yards, ranking sixth in NCAA Division I history.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The school retired his jersey (No. 5) during halftime of a November 2005 game against UNLV<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0In December of that year, Tomlinson fulfilled a promise to his mother by earning his degree in communications from TCU.\u00a0He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame<\/a> on December 9, 2014.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/sup>College statistics<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0<\/strong><\/th>\nRushing<\/strong><\/th>\nReceiving<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Year<\/strong><\/th>\nTeam<\/strong><\/th>\nGP<\/strong><\/th>\nAtt<\/strong><\/th>\nYards<\/strong><\/th>\nAvg<\/strong><\/th>\nTDs<\/strong><\/th>\nRec<\/strong><\/th>\nYards<\/strong><\/th>\nTDs<\/strong><\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
1997<\/strong><\/td>\nTCU<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n126<\/strong><\/td>\n538<\/strong><\/td>\n4.3<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n109<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1998<\/strong><\/td>\nTCU<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n144<\/strong><\/td>\n717<\/strong><\/td>\n5.0<\/strong><\/td>\n8<\/strong><\/td>\n6<\/strong><\/td>\n34<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1999<\/strong><\/td>\nTCU<\/strong><\/td>\n12<\/strong><\/td>\n304<\/strong><\/td>\n1,974<\/strong><\/td>\n6.5<\/strong><\/td>\n20<\/strong><\/td>\n16<\/strong><\/td>\n84<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2000<\/strong><\/td>\nTCU<\/strong><\/td>\n11<\/strong><\/td>\n369<\/strong><\/td>\n2,158<\/strong><\/td>\n5.8<\/strong><\/td>\n22<\/strong><\/td>\n10<\/strong><\/td>\n40<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
College Totals<\/strong><\/td>\n44<\/strong><\/td>\n943<\/strong><\/td>\n5,387<\/strong><\/td>\n5.7<\/strong><\/td>\n56<\/strong><\/td>\n43<\/strong><\/td>\n267<\/strong><\/td>\n0<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

College awards and honors<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n