Tyrone Thurman

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Tyrone Thurman

| image =

| image_size =

| number =

| position = Wide receiver

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|12|31}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height_ft = 5

| height_in = 3

| weight_lbs = 150

| high_school = Robert E. Lee {{nowrap|(Midland, Texas)}}

| college = Texas Tech

| undraftedyear = 1989

| pastteams =

Dallas Cowboys ({{NFL Year|1989}})*
Ottawa Rough Riders ({{CFL Year|1990}}–{{CFL Year|1991}}){{cite news|last=Connor|first=Desmond|title=An Arena That's All Their Own|url=https://www.courant.com/1995/05/12/an-arena-thats-all-their-own-2/|access-date=23 December 2013|newspaper=Hartford Courant|date=May 12, 1995}}
Dallas Texans ({{AFL Year|1992}}–{{AFL Year|1993}})
Las Vegas Sting ({{AFL Year|1994}})
Connecticut Coyotes ({{AFL Year|1995}})
Texas Terror ({{AFL Year|1996}})

| highlights =

First-team All-American (1988){{cite press release | url=http://www.texastech.com/genrel/091202aaa.html | title=Texas Tech Announces Hall of Honor Inductees | publisher=Texas Tech University | date=September 12, 2002 | access-date=December 22, 2013}}
2× First-team All-SWC (1986, 1988)
Smallest Division I (NCAA) football player during his career{{cite news | url=http://articles.philly.com/1986-10-02/sports/26057896_1_texas-tech-tyrone-thurman-red-raiders | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224085641/http://articles.philly.com/1986-10-02/sports/26057896_1_texas-tech-tyrone-thurman-red-raiders | url-status=dead | archive-date=December 24, 2013 | title=No Tall Tale At 5-2 3/4, Thurman Makes Big Impact At Texas Tech | agency=Philadelphia Daily News | access-date=December 22, 2013 | author=Fernandez, Bernard | location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania}}

| aflstatlabel1 = Receptions

| aflstatvalue1 = 263

| aflstatlabel2 = Receiving yards

| aflstatvalue2 = 2,956

| aflstatlabel3 = Receiving TDs

| aflstatvalue3 = 32

| aflstatlabel4 = Kick returns-yards

| aflstatvalue4 = 224-3,774

| aflstatlabel5 = Kick return TDs

| aflstatvalue5 = 7

| afl = 1600

}}

Tyrone Thurman (born December 31, 1966) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, earning first-team All-American honors as a kick returner in 1988.

Career

=High school=

Thurman played at the running back position at Robert E. Lee High School in Midland, Texas under coach Spike Dykes.

=College=

Due to his small size at 5' 4" and 126 pounds, Thurman received little interest from Division I schools before being recruited to Texas Tech University with the hiring of his former high school coach Spike Dykes as the defensive coordinator for the Red Raiders in 1984.{{cite book|last=Dykes|first=Spike|title=Spike Dykes's Tales from the Texas Tech Sideline|year=2004|publisher=Sports Publishing|location=Champaign, IL|isbn=1-58261-265-X|page=77|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0eoR1PHi80C}} Thurman would play at the wide receiver position, but earned his accolades as a punt returner.

Thurman would play from 1985-1988, and earned Associated Press All-American 1st Team honors as a kick returner during his senior year in 1988. Thurman concluded his career holding several school records including longest punt return at 96 yards, return yards in a season (444 in 1986), returns in a career (126) and yards in a career (1,466). Several records still stand in 2013, with some having been broken by Mosi Tatupu Award winner Wes Welker.{{cite web|title=2013 Record Book|url=http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/text/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_event/record-book-2013.pdf|publisher=Texas Tech University|access-date=2013-12-23|archive-date=2013-10-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014055600/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/text/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/2013-14/misc_event/record-book-2013.pdf|url-status=dead}}