David Thornton

Position:
Linebacker
Height:
6-2
Weight:
210
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Goldsboro, N.C.
High School:
Goldsboro

An amazing story ... A former walk-on who was awarded a scholarship in the spring and emerged as one of the top defensive players in the ACC and Carolina's leading tackler ... A second-team All-ACC pick in 2001 ... Has tremendous speed and a real nose for the ball ... One of the more active Tar Heels off the field, some of Thornton?s activities include serving as a minority recruitment volunteer at UNC, a volunteer coach for a local girls? intramural basketball team and a UNC Senior Marshall.

2001 - Senior Season
Had eight tackles, one sack and tipped a pass that was intercepted in UNC?s 16-10 win over Auburn in the Peach Bowl ... Named second team All-ACC after leading the Tar Heels and ranking fourth in the conference with 131 total tackles ... His 10.9 tackles per game average ranked 10th in the ACC ... Ranked second behind All-America Julius Peppers on the ACC?s top defense with 10 tackles for losses ... Had never started a game before for the Tar Heels, but started the year leading UNC in tackles the first three games of the season ... Had 15 tackles (12 solo, 3 assists), including four for losses of 12 yards, in the season-opener at Oklahoma ... Was also credited with one sack against the Sooners ... Led the team with 13 hits at Maryland and had 14 more tackles against Texas ... Had seven tackles in the big win over FSU and nine hits in a road win at NC State ... Crushed Wolfpack QB Philip Rivers in the backfield to force a fumble in the second quarter at NCSU ... Had another great game versus ECU, leading the Tar Heels with 10 tackles (8 solo), including two tackles for a losses of three yards ... Led Carolina's defense against Clemson with eight stops (6 solo) and one sack for seven yards ... Recorded 12 stops at Georgia Tech and returned an interception 19 yards ... Was second on the team in tackles against Wake Forest, totaling 17 stops (10 solo), one tackle for loss and breaking up a pass ... Had a team-high 11 tackles in the regular-season finale against SMU.

At Carolina
Played 316 snaps in 2000, primarily on special teams ... Also was a backup linebacker ... Had 16 tackles ... Played in 10 games in 1999 as a special teams contributor ... Had eight tackles that year, two against Wake Forest, and Indiana and one against FSU, Clemson, Houston and NC State ... Played 123 snaps, including 23 against Wake Forest.

Goldsboro High School
Played four years of football at quarterback and safety for Coach Elvin James ... Was an all-conference selection as a senior ... Also played four years of baseball as a pitcher and four years of basketball at point guard ... Was drum major of the marching band, student body president, president of the National Honor Society, a North Carolina Scholar, an honors graduate and two-time graduation marshall.

Personal
Born David Dontay Thornton on Nov. 11, 1978 in Goldsboro, N.C. ... Hobbies include reading, shopping, eating, sleeping and singing ... Favorite food is chicken ... Favorite movie is The Green Mile ... Favorite athlete is Deion Sanders ... Favorite NFL team as a kid was the Dallas Cowboys ... Favorite former Tar Heel football player is Lawrence Taylor ... Best friend on another team is Adrian Parks (NC A&T) ... First thought of Coach Bunting: "No doubt, this man is serious business." ... Greatest moment in athletics was getting to play in Kenan Stadium ... His brother, Terrance, played football and baseball at Elizabeth City State University ... At UNC he is also involved with Minority Student Recruitment, Campus Rec, is a volunteer mentor for UNC Upward Bound, is a member of Student Rec Center Board of Director and serves a Senior Marshall ... Wants to improve his strength and have fun this season ... Majoring in exercise and sports science.

David Thornton's Regular-Season Statistics
Year	Pri	A	Hits	TFL	Sacks
1999	6	0	6	0	0
2000	8	8	16	0	0
2001	88	43	131	10-37	3-23
Totals	102	51	153	10-37	3-23