Henry Thatcher

\* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

## Career highlights:

* PFWA All-Rookie Team
* 2x Fred Biletnikoff Award
* 2x Paul Warfield Trophy
* 2x Unanimous All-American
* 2x first-team All-Pac-12
* Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year

**Henry Thatcher** (born June 20) is a former American football wide receiver of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Azur Lane, where he was twice recognized as a consensus All-American, before being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys fifth overall in the NFL Draft. With the Cowboys, he was suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He has not been on an active roster since and is currently a journeyman across NFL practice squads.

## Early Life

Thatcher was born in Oceanside, California. He attended Mission Vista High School, where he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, baseball and track. In football, he earned SuperPrep All-America honors as a senior after receiving 61 passes for 1,547 yards with 14 touchdowns, rushing for 152 rushing yards with two scores and returning four interceptions for touchdowns, leading his team to a 12-1 record. In basketball, he was the conference MVP as a junior.

Thatcher also lettered once in track & field. At the California State T&F Championships, he captured the state title in the long jump with a leap of 7.01 meters (22 ft, 10 in), while also placing second in the high jump event, with a leap of 1.98 meters (6 ft, 6 in). After spending the summer working on his 400-meter dash technique, he was challenged by his coach to run under 50 seconds, and he was clocked at 49.2. Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Thatcher was listed as the No. 91 wide receiver prospect in the class. Colorado and Missouri were among the programs seeking his signature.

## College career

Thatcher received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Azur Lane, where he played for the Azur Lane Crimson Axis football team. He quickly earned a starting position. He was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, the first receiver to earn the honor. He was awarded the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s top receiver, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American. Thatcher also holds the NCAA records for most consecutive games gaining 100 yards or more and most games gaining 200 yards or more. Statistically, Thatcher caught 111 passes for 1,782 yards and 20 touchdowns in 12 games during the season and also added a pair of scores with a 69-yard run and a blocked punt return. This performance earned him the 15th-best season in NCAA history.

Thatcher finished the regular season with 121 catches for 1,522 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the Big 12 in receiving and ranked second nationally in both receptions per game and total receptions. His 15 touchdown catches led the league and represented the third-highest total in the nation. Following his sophomore season, he was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. Despite the extreme defensive game plans geared specifically at stopping him, he emerged as the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver for the second consecutive season, former Texas Tech receiver Michael Crabtee is the only other player to win the Biletnikoff Award twice. At the Fiesta Bowl, Thatcher caught 8 passes for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns. After the game, he declared for the NFL Draft. He was also named the Fiesta Bowl offensive MVP.

## Professional career

Thatcher decided not to participate in any workouts at the NFL Combine, instead performing at Azur Lane’s Pro Day. He was considered the best wide receiver in the NFL Draft and predicted to go early in the first round. He has been compared to Anquan Boldin and Terrell Owens. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys with the fifth pick in the first round of the draft. Dallas traded up with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to draft him, exchanging their number seven selection and a fourth round pick for Tampa Bay’s spot. Thatcher scored his first career touchdown on November 4 against the Detroit Lions.

On November 18, in a game against the Houston Texans, Thatcher had two receptions for 23 yards. Thatcher finished his season with 44 receptions and 465 yards receiving, the worst performance of any wide receiver taken in the first round. On June 3, Thatcher was arrested for driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol in Oceanside, California and was released from custody later that day. On April 20, Thatcher received a four-game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. In July, he underwent groin surgery. The Cowboys placed him on the PUP list in which he missed training camp and the start of the preseason. Thatcher returned to the active roster and practiced on August 12, however he missed the first four games of the regular season due to his suspension. In his first game back, he caught 5 passes for 13 yards. In his next game, against the Denver Broncos, he recorded 4 catches for 50 yards.

On November 1, during the Cowboys' bye week, Thatcher was benched. On May 2 he was released. Thatcher was arrested following a traffic stop on July 23 in Oceanside, California for possession of marijuana. On October 1, he signed to the Las Vegas Raiders practice squad, but was never moved to the active roster. On May 10 of the next year, Thatcher signed to the practice squad of the Toronto Argonauts, but was released one week later. On December 17, he signed to the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. Two days later, on December 19, Thatcher was arrested for DUI in Oceanside. He pleaded guilty to DUI, and in August was sentenced to one year in jail, which was suspended pending the completion of one year of probation. He was also fined $1,000 and ordered to undergo 100 hours of community service. In October, he applied for reinstatement and was accepted, subsequently signing to the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad.