Bill Thornton (American football)

William Albert "Thunder" Thornton (September 20, 1939 – December 18, 2008) was an American football fullback who played college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers (1960–1962) and professional football for the St. Louis Cardinals (1963–1965, 1967).

Bill Thornton
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born:(1939-09-20)September 20, 1939
Toledo, Ohio
Died:December 18, 2008(2008-12-18) (aged 69)
Columbia, Missouri
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school:Libbey (OH)
College:Nebraska
NFL Draft:1963 / Round: 5 / Pick: 58
Career history
Player stats at PFR

Early years

A native of Toledo, Ohio, he attended Libbey High School in Toledo.[1] He played college football as a fullback and linebacker at Nebraska from 1960 to 1962.[2] He was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team back on the 1961 All-Big Eight Conference football team.[3]

Professional football

He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 58th pick in the 1963 NFL Draft. He played for the Cardinals from 1963 to 1965 and in 1967, appearing in 47 NFL games.[1]

Later years

After retiring from football, he worked for 16 years for the State of Missouri.[2] He died in 2008 in Columbia, Missouri, of complications from diabetes.[4]

References
  1. "Bill Thornton Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  2. "Bill "Thunder" Thornton". HuskerMax. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  3. "Bowl Bound Colorado Buffaloes Land 3 On All-Big Eight Team". The Bee: Danville, Virginia. November 28, 1961. p. 3D.
  4. "Ex-Husker star 'Thunder' Thornton dies". The Grand Island Independent. February 1, 2019.
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