NFL CAREER – One of only two rookie free agents to make the team’s 53-man roster on opening day, Thomas initially emerged as a bright spot on special teams and went on to become a solid contributor in the backfield. He played in 12 games during his rookie campaign and ranked third on the team with 252 rushing yards on 52 carries (4.8 avg.), caught 17 passes for 151 yards, returned 36 kickoffs for 865 yards (24.0 avg.) and made five tackles on special teams. Thomas was the only Saint to score touchdowns rushing, receiving and on a return, running for a 24-yard score against Atlanta, catching an 11-yard touchdown pass at Chicago and scooping up a loose ball on a botched snap at Seattle and running it five yards into the end zone. He added a two-point conversion run to total 20 points on the year, ranking sixth on the team. In his first career start, Thomas became the first player in Saints record books and just 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.

2007 – Made the opening day roster as one of only two rookie free agents to be able to make that claim…Played in 12 games with one start, and was inactive for four games…Gained 252 yards rushing on 52 attempts (4.8 avg.) with a touchdown, caught 17 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, 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 the first three games…Made NFL debut Oct. 7 vs. Carolina, averaging 25 yards on four kickoff returns and also had one carry for three yards…Scored a touchdown in just the second game of his career at Seattle, Oct. 14, as he scooped up a loose ball on a botched punt snap and carried it five yards into the end zone to give the Saints a 7-0 lead less than three minutes into their 28-17 victory…Against Atlanta Oct. 21, scored his first career offensive touchdown on a 24-yard run bursting through the line on a draw play and totaled two rushes for 26 yards…Also had a 32-yard kickoff return to average 26 yards on three runbacks…Tied a team record with eight kickoff 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…Carried once for six yards at Houston, Nov. 18, along with averaging 22.6 yards on five kickoff returns and adding a tackle on special teams…Gained 32 yards on 12 rushing attempts at Carolina, Nov. 25…Inactive Dec. 2 vs. Tampa Bay with a bruised kidney suffered the previous week at Carolina…Ran for 31 yards on six carries at Atlanta, Dec. 10…Against Arizona Dec. 16, Carried the ball twice for 20 yards and also had his first career reception, good for a two-yard gain as well as averaging 20.6 yards on five kickoff returns and made a tackle on special teams…Caught a career-best four passes for 28 yards and rushed five times for 18 yards along with returning three kickoffs for an average of 26.3 yards vs. Philadelphia, Dec. 23…Playing in his hometown at Chicago, Dec. 30, made his first career start and turned in one of the finest statistical performances by Saints RB in franchise history. Carried the ball 20 times 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.