Background and career
LaDainian Tarshane Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979), nicknamed "L.T.", is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. After a successful college football career with the TCU Horned Frogs, the San Diego Chargers selected him as the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft. He spent nine years with the Chargers, earning five Pro Bowl appearances, three Associated Press first-team All-Pro nominations, and two NFL rushing titles. Tomlinson was also voted the NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2006 after breaking the record for touchdowns in a single season. He played two further seasons with the New York Jets, before retiring. Considered one of the greatest running backs of all time, he was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. A native of Rosebud, Texas, Tomlinson showed athletic promise while attending University High School. He was recruited by Texas Christian University (TCU). As a junior, Tomlinson rushed for 406 yards in a single game, a Division I record at the time. As a senior, he earned unanimous All-American honors, and won the Doak Walker Award as the best college running back. TCU retired his No. 5 in 2005, and he was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014. The Chargers selected Tomlinson No. 5 overall after passing on the opportunity to select highly rated quarterback Michael Vick. A starter in his rookie season, Tomlinson opened his career with the first of seven consecutive seasons with over 1,200 rushing yards, a streak achieved previously only by Eric Dickerson. He became a prolific scorer under Marty Schottenheimer, who coached the Chargers from 2002 to 2006. Tomlinson's output reached a peak in 2006, when he set numerous single-season records, including for most touchdowns scored (31). These feats won him the NFL MVP award, but San Diego suffered an upset defeat in their playoff opener, and Schottenheimer was fired shortly afterwards. Tomlinson became less central to the Charger offense in the following three seasons, and missed time through injury in key games. He was released following the 2009 season, played two seasons with the Jets, and retired. Tomlinson was named to five Pro Bowls (2002, 2004–2007), was a first-team All-Pro three times (2004, 2006, 2007), and won consecutive rushing titles in 2006 and 2007. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career rushing yards (13,684), fifth in yards from scrimmage (18,456), second in career rushing touchdowns (145), and third in total touchdowns (162). Tomlinson also threw seven touchdown passes which ranks second behind Walter Payton (eight) for non-quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. Tomlinson had his No. 21 retired by the Chargers in 2015 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility. Tomlinson is often known by his initials, L.T.. He works as an analyst on the NFL Network, and also serves as a special assistant to the Chargers' principal owner, Dean Spanos.
Tomlinson was born on June 23, 1979, in Rosebud, Texas, to Loreane Chappelle and Oliver Tomlinson. His mother worked as a preacher; his father left the family when Tomlinson was seven years old. Tomlinson did not see his father very often afterward. He grew up with a brother and a sister and later, also a half-sister and three half-brothers. At age nine, Tomlinson joined the Pop Warner Little Scholars football program and scored a touchdown the first time he touched the ball. Tomlinson attended University High School in Waco, Texas, where he ran track and played basketball, baseball, and football. Tomlinson began his football career playing as both a linebacker and a fullback, but blossomed on the offensive side of the ball; he was named to the District 10–4A second-team offense as a running back. Tomlinson amassed 2,554 yards and 39 touchdowns his senior year, earning honors as the District 25-4A Most Valuable Player and the Super Centex Offensive Player of the Year. He was named to the state all-star football team in 1997, which included future San Diego teammates Drew Brees (Austin Westlake) and Quentin Jammer (Angleton). Tomlinson was an avid Dallas Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes fan during his youth. He idolized Walter Payton and admired Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, and Barry Sanders. Tomlinson was able to meet Smith while attending a camp run by Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek.
Tomlinson accepted an athletic scholarship at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, then a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). He played for the TCU Horned Frogs from 1997 to 2000. Before Tomlinson's arrival, TCU had appeared in only one bowl game in the previous 12 seasons and two in the previous 31, losing both. They had recently been downgraded to a minor conference (the WAC) after the breakup of the Southwest Conference.
During Tomlinson's freshman and sophomore years, he split time with Basil Mitchell and other backs, while the Horned Frog posted records of 1–10 and 6–5. The latter of these seasons finished with TCU's first bowl win in 42 years against the USC Trojans in the Sun Bowl, though Tomlinson only rushed for 34 yards in the game (Mitchell had 185 yards and two touchdowns). Tomlinson was promoted to the starting running back role during his junior season, responding with 1,850 yards and 18 touchdowns as the Horned Frogs improved to 7–4. On November 20, he set an NCAA Division I record for most rushing yards in a game with a 43-carry, 406-yard, 6-touchdown performance against UTEP. TCU ended the season with a 28–14 win against East Carolina in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl. His 20 rushing touchdowns were tied for the NCAA lead with Ron Dayne. He finished second in the NCAA in rushing to Dayne with 1,974 rushing yards. He was named the WAC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-WAC for the 1999 season. Tomlinson's senior season was one of great consistency. He went over 100 rushing yards and scored at least one touchdown in every game. He started his senior campaign with 24 carries for 176 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns in a 41–10 victory over Nevada. In the following game against Northwestern, he had 39 carries for 243 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 41–14 victory. In the following game, a 52–3 victory over Arkansas State, he had 23 carries for 140 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. TCU ended September with a perfect 4–0 mark with a 24–0 victory over Navy where Tomlinson had 33 carries for 121 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. To start off October, Tomlinson had his best game of the season to that point with 49 carries for 294 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in a 41–21 victory over Hawaii. In the next game, against Tulsa, he had 27 carries for 119 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 17–3 victory. In the following game against Rice, he had 41 carries for 200 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 37–0 victory. The victory over Rice marked a perfect October and a 7–0 start for TCU. The undefeated Horned Frogs reached a No. 9 ranking in the AP Poll, their highest since 1959. TCU dropped their first game of the season in the following game against San Jose State. Tomlinson had 32 carries for 155 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the 27–24 loss to the Spartans. In the next game against Fresno State, he had 42 carries for 231 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown in the 24–7 victory. In the following game against UTEP, Tomlinson rushed 33 times for 305 yards and three touchdowns in the 47–14 victory. TCU closed out their regular season with a 62–7 victory over SMU, where Tomlinson had 26 carries for 174 rushing yard and one rushing touchdown. In the 2000 season, TCU again improved their record, going 10–1 and qualifying for their second consecutive Mobile Alabama Bowl. He led the NCAA for the second time with 2,158 yards and 22 touchdowns, adding 28 carries for 118 yards and two touchdowns in his final game with TCU, a 28–21 defeat in the Mobile Alabama Bowl. He was recognized as a unanimous first-team All-American. He won the Doak Walker Award and the Jim Brown Trophy as the nation's best running back, and was a finalist for the 2000 Heisman Trophy, but came in fourth in the voting. Tomlinson also repeated as WAC Offensive Player of the Year and as an All-WAC first-team selection. Tomlinson completed his career at TCU with 5,263 rushing yards, ranking sixth in NCAA Division I history at the time. He had one more game before becoming a professional, taking part in the 2001 Senior Bowl on January 21. Tomlinson rushed for 88 yards and a touchdown and caught a pass for a further 28 yards, earning the game's MVP award and helping the South beat the North 21–16. TCU retired his No. 5 during halftime of a November 2005 game against UNLV. He was their single-game, single-season, and career record holder in both rushing touchdowns and rushing yards, amongst other records. In December of that year, Tomlinson fulfilled a promise to his mother by earning his degree in communications from TCU. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on December 9, 2014.
After a 1–15 record in 2000, the San Diego Chargers had the first pick in the 2001 NFL draft. Quarterback was a weakness, with 1998 first-round pick Ryan Leaf considered a draft bust as he was cut after three unsuccessful seasons; Charger quarterbacks had combined for a league-high 30 interceptions in 2000. However, running back was also an area of need, with their team total of 1,062 yards the fewest recorded in a 16-game season. They were expected to use the No. 1 pick on quarterback Michael Vick, but preliminary contract negotiations with the player broke down, and general manager John Butler instead accepted a trade offer from the Atlanta Falcons; the Chargers' first-round pick (No. 1 overall) was exchanged for Atlanta's first-round pick (No. 5 overall), as well as their third-round pick in 2001, their second-round pick in 2002, and wide receiver/kick returner Tim Dwight. San Diego had shown interest in Tomlinson even before the trade with Atlanta. They selected him fifth overall, after the Cleveland Browns (picking third, and potentially interested in a running back) chose Gerard Warren instead. Instead of Vick, San Diego selected Drew Brees in the second round as their future quarterback. Chargers head coach Mike Riley stated that Tomlinson was the player the team had wanted after they'd made the trade. Tomlinson himself expressed relief at being passed on by the Browns. Of joining a one-win team, he said, "At TCU my freshman year, we were 1–10. I know what it takes to rebuild a program."
Tomlinson was a holdout through much of training camp, while his agent Tom Condon negotiated with the Chargers. He eventually signed a six-year, $38 million contract on August 21. He had missed the first two preseason games, and was kept on the bench for the third, before featuring briefly in the final game, rushing five times for 14 yards in a defeat to the Arizona Cardinals. On September 9, Tomlinson made his regular season debut in a 30–3 victory over the Washington Redskins. He was immediately given a heavy workload, carrying 36 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns in the 30–3 victory. The 36 carries were tied for the third-most in franchise history up to that point, while the 113 yards were a new record for a Charger in his first career game. Tomlinson followed this by rushing for 90, 107, and 102 yards in the following three games. He added four more touchdowns; in a week 3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals, he posted the first three-touchdown game by a Charger running back since Natrone Means in 1994. Four games into his career, Tomlinson was the league leader in both rushing yards with 412 and rushing touchdowns with six, and had already surpassed the 384 yards with which third-down back Terrell Fletcher led the team the previous season. Tomlinson's pace slowed during the remaining twelve weeks of the season, with only four more touchdowns and one more 100-yard rushing game, which came in week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Nonetheless, his total of 1,236 was the second-most in franchise history, behind only Means in 1994; with a further 367 receiving yards, Tomlinson had 1,603 yards from scrimmage, breaking the franchise record that Lance Alworth had set in 1965. San Diego finished the season with a nine-game losing streak and a 5–11 record. Tomlinson said of breaking Alworth's record, "It means a lot to me and the people who helped me get it. But I just wish I could have gotten it in a winning season when it means more." League-wide, Tomlinson finished ninth in rushing yards and tied for fourth in rushing touchdowns. However, his yards per carry of 3.6 was only 31st among players with at least 100 carries, and his eight fumbles, one of which was returned for a key touchdown in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, were joint-most among non-quarterbacks. Tomlinson led the league in touches (rushing attempts and receptions combined) with 398, and ranked ninth for yards from scrimmage. He received 16 votes for the Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award, finishing second to Anthony Thomas (22 votes). Thomas and Tomlinson were the two running backs named to the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie team.
