LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson (born June 23, 1979) is a former professional American football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eleven seasons. He played the majority of his career with the San Diego Chargers, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft. Tomlinson was invited to five Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro six times, and won consecutive rushing titles in 2006 and 2007. At the time of his retirement, he ranked fifth in career rushing yards (13,684), seventh in all-purpose yards (18,456), second in career rushing touchdowns (145), and third in total touchdowns (162). He currently serves as an analyst on NFL Network. After being elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014, Tomlinson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2017, his first year of eligibility.
Tomlinson played college football for Texas Christian University (TCU), earned consensus All-America honors, and won the Doak Walker Award as the best college running back. He spent nine seasons with the Chargers. During the 2006 NFL season, he set several NFL touchdown scoring records and received numerous honors and awards including the NFL's Most Valuable Player Award and the Associated Press's Offensive Player of the Year Award. In 2010, he signed as a free agent with the New York Jets, playing for two seasons before retiring after 2011.
Tomlinson is often referred to by his initials, L.T.An effective passer on halfback option plays, Tomlinson threw seven touchdown passes and ranks second behind Walter Payton (8) for non-quarterbacks since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970. He was named to the NFL's 2000s All-Decade Team as one of the top running backs of the 2000s.
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