Solomon Thomas is a defenseman for the SanFrancisco 49ers. He joined the National Football League (NFL) in 2017 and is working to establish himself as one of the league’s top passers. Thomas’ journey to the NFL is interesting. Instead of playing soccer, he grew up surfing and playing soccer in faraway Australia. Learn more about his story here, including his career, his parents and the tragic loss of his sister.
Solomon Thomas background
Solomon Christopher Thomas was born on August 26, 1995 in Chicago, Illinois. At the age of two his father (who was an international sales manager at Procter & Gamble) was transferred to Australia. There Thomas spent the next five years of his life surfing and playing games on the beach. The family remained in Australia until he was eight, when his father was brought back to the states.
Upon returning to America, they settled in Connecticut for a few years before moving to Texas, where Thomas fell in love with soccer. Solomon Thomas received his high school education from Coppell High School in Texas, where he played both soccer and basketball. He totaled 272 tackles and 21 sacks in high school and was named an All-State underseat and All-USA underseat by USA Today during his senior year.
College football and NFL careers
For his college education, Solomon Thomas chose the renowned Stanford University, where he studied communications. He was awarded a redshirt in his first year – 2014. In his sophomore year – 2015 – the pass rusher appeared in all 14 games and recorded 39 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10.5 TFLs and 2 fumble recoveries. Thomas did even better next season. In 13 games, he had 62 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 15 TFLs and 2 fumble recoveries. He was subsequently named second-team All-America (USA Today) and third-team All-America (Associated Press). He also received First-Team All-Pac-12 honors and won the prestigious Morris Trophy for the Pac-12 Conference’s top defenseman. Solomon Thomas decided to go on strike,
Solomon Thomas was rated very highly in the draft as NFLDraftScout.com, ESPN and Sports Illustrated ranked him as the second-best defenseman in the draft, while Pro Football Focus ranked him as the fourth-best defenseman. Thomas lived up to his lofty bill and was the 3rd pick in the 2017 NFL draft. He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers, who signed him to an attractive four-year contract worth $28.14 million.
family (parents and sister)
Solomon Thomas comes from a family of four father, Chris Thomas, mother, Martha and sister Ella (late now). His parents are athletic, his father played college basketball while his mother ran the track. His parents met at Wooster College in Ohio.
Thomas’ older sister and only sibling, EllaElizabeth Thomas sadly took his own life on January 23, 2018. She died from a shot she fired herself at a friend’s apartment. She suffered from depression, anxiety, and PTSD, partly due to a sexual assault she suffered during her sophomore year in college. She also suffered from feelings of inadequacy. The loss devastated Thomas and his family as he was very close to her. According to him, she had a heart of gold and loved everyone. The family was aware of their mental health issues and they got help for that, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
After her death, the Thomas family made a conscious decision not to hide it but to speak up about it to raise awareness about suicide and mental health. Thomas, his parents and eight of Ella’s friends also took part in a 16-mile walk in Dallas to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. As a team, they raised $39,000 (the 49ers donated $5,000). Thomas also received overwhelming support from his team, some of whom attended his sister’s funeral. After his sister’s death, the family donated their car to a youth charity and their college money to a local college student. They hope that their death will not be in vain but will help others to get help.
height and weight
Solomon Thomas is 6ft 3in tall or 1.90m and weighs an intimidating 280 pounds or 127 pounds. He has an arm length of 33 cm and a hand size of 9 7 ⁄ 8 inches. His well-built body is enough to instill fear in an unsuspecting opponent. Thomas is also very athletic, fluid and fast for a player his size.