NFL CAREER – Thomas has been an exceptional find for the Saints – initially signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007, he earned a roster spot as a rookie as a special teams ace and has since evolved into a significant cog in the club’s offensive attack. Thomas led New Orleans with 12 touchdowns in 2008, which tied for eighth in the NFL. He paced the Saints with 1,702 total yards – including a team-high 625 rushing – and averaged 25.6 yards per kick return. Over his final six games, Thomas was the team’s featured runner and averaged 112.8 yards of total offense per game while also picking up NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 14. His performance last year built on the promise of his rookie season, when in his first career start Thomas became the first player in club record books and only the second rookie in NFL history to gain over 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game.

CAREER TRANSACTIONS – Signed a three-year contract 4/30/07 as an undrafted rookie free agent.

HONORS – 2008: NFC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 14).

2008 – Led the club in rushing with 625 yards on 129 carries (4.8 avg.) with nine touchdowns, finished seventh with 31 catches for 284 yards (9.2 avg.) and three TDs and led the team with 31 kickoff returns for 793 yards (25.6 avg.)…Also led the team in scoring with 72 points…Played in 15 games, with five starts, inactive for the finale with back and wrist injuries…Rushed for 475 yards and six touchdowns, had three TD receptions and added an 88-yard kickoff return in his final six contests…Scored a touchdown in six-straight games (11/16-12/21), tying a team record held by Dalton Hilliard, who reached the milestone twice. Thomas enters 2009 with the streak still active after missing the finale…In opener vs. Tampa Bay, pounded out 52 yards on 10 carries and added a special teams tackle…At Denver, Sept. 21, reached end zone on runs of five and 10 yards…Top kick return day of year came vs. Minnesota, with five for 168 yards, including a 56-yarder…Emerged as club’s top backfield threat at Kansas City, with 16 carries for 88 yards and a TD, and four catches for 56 yards, including a 24-yard catch-and-run…Nov. 24 vs. Green Bay, had 87 yards on 15 attempts with two TDs and hauled in three passes for 34 yards…Scored on a 20-yard touchdown catch at Tampa Bay and added 34 rushing yards, Nov. 30…Posted the Saints’ lone 100-yard performance of the season with 102 on 16 carries with a touchdown vs. Atlanta, Dec. 7. Added a seven-yard TD catch and an 88-yard kickoff return, and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week…At Chicago, Dec. 11, had a season-high 22 carries for 87 yards, including a 42-yard burst for a TD, and added seven catches for 59 yards and a TD. His 146 yards of offense were a season-high, and he added three kickoff returns for 63 yards…Posted 77 yards on 13 attempts with a TD at Detroit, Dec. 21. Performance included a 29-yard run, and he added three grabs for 26 yards. Tied team record by scoring a touchdown for his sixth-straight game, but injuries to back and wrist kept him on the inactive list for the finale. 2007 – One of only two rookie free agents to make opening day roster…Played in 12 games with one start, and inactive for four games…Rushed for 252 yards on 52 attempts (4.8 avg.) with a touchdown, caught 17 passes for 151 yards and a TD, returned 36 kickoffs for 865 yards (24.0 avg.) and made five tackles on special teams…Also scored on a fumble recovery on special teams and added a two-point conversion run, scoring 20 points on the year…Inactive for first three games…Made NFL debut Oct. 7 vs. Carolina, averaging 25 yards on four kickoff returns and also had a carry for three yards…Scored a touchdown in just the second game of his career at Seattle, Oct. 14, scooping up a loose ball on a botched punt snap and carrying it five yards into the end zone to give the Saints a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into a 28-17 victory…Against Atlanta Oct. 21, scored his first career offensive touchdown on a 24-yard draw and totaled two rushes for 26 yards…Tied a team record with eight kick returns against St. Louis, Nov. 11, totaling 233 yards (second-highest single-game total in team history) to average 29.1 yards, with a season-best 64-yard return…Inactive Dec. 2 vs. Tampa Bay with a bruised kidney suffered the previous week at Carolina…Playing in hometown of Chicago, Dec. 30, made first career start and turned in one of the finest statistical performances by Saints RB in club history. Posted 20 carries for 105 yards and caught 12 passes 121 yards and an 11-yard touchdown, becoming the first player in team annals to gain more than 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game. His 226 total yards from scrimmage marked the third-highest total in club history. Also ran for a two-point conversion following his fourth quarter TD catch, gained 16 first downs on his 32 touches and stripped the ball from CB Charles Tillman on an interception return that Lance Moore recovered, setting up a Saints field goal just before halftime.

COLLEGE – Played 40 games at Illinois and ranks sixth in school’s history with 2,545 rushing yards…Averaged 5.6 yards per carry over his career and ran for 20 TDs…Also caught 57 passes for 411 yards and three TDs…Led team in rushing in each of the final three seasons, and had eight 100-yard games…Had a school-record 1,495 career kickoff return yards…Averaged 24.1 yards as a kick returner for his career including a 99-yard return for a touchdown…Second in school history with 4,451 all-purpose yards…Majored in sports management.

PERSONAL – Prepped at Thornton Fractional South (Lansing, Ill.) HS, where he was a two-time all-state selection by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times…Totaled 5,565 yards in his career and scored 88 touchdowns, with 27 100-yard games and 11 of over 200…Racked up 2,365 yards and 38 TDs as a senior and was named the Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year…A native of Lynwood, Ill., Charles Pierre Thomas, Jr. was born Dec. 18, 1984 in Chicago.