Thomas Howard (American football)

Thomas Arquis Howard (July 14, 1983 – November 18, 2013) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football for the University of Texas at El Paso.

College career
Thomas A. Howard began his college career as a walk-on at the University of Texas at El Paso and was then redshirted. He had a solid freshman season, being named to Sporting News All-WAC Freshman team. He played in 11 games and made 4 starts at weakside linebacker. The following season, he played in 13 games and started 10 of them. He had a great junior season being named Second Team All-WAC and helping lead his team to their first bowl game since 2001. He had a mediocre senior season after being named pre-season defensive player of the year in the state of Texas.

Oakland Raiders
He recorded 110 tackles, 88 solo tackles, and 1 pass deflection in 2006.

Howard's second season started off with an interception in each of his first 4 games, 2 of them which were returned for touchdowns. Since then he has also recorded a quarterback sack and 8 passes defensed. In only his second NFL season, Howard led the NFL in linebacker interceptions with 6 for 172 yards and 2 touchdowns. At the end of 2007, Howard had 95 tackles, 77 solo, 11 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, 1 sack, and 2 touchdowns.

In 2008, Howard recorded his first career forced fumble during a week 2 victory against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs. He recorded a second during a week 16 victory against the Houston Texans. At the end of the season, Thomas Howard had 97 tackles, 80 solo, 5 pass deflections, 1 interception, 1 sack, and 2 forced fumbles.

In 2009, while tallying a career low 79 tackles (72 of which were solo), Howard still came away with a career-high 2 sacks. He finished the season with 79 tackles, 72 solo, 6 pass deflections, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

In 2010, The Raiders waived him after 12 games.

Cincinnati Bengals
In the 2011 offseason, Howard signed a 2-year deal with the Bengals worth $6.5 million.

On September 13, 2012, Joe Reedy of The Cincinnati Enquirer reported that the Bengals had placed Howard on injured reserve after tearing his ACL in practice.

Atlanta Falcons
Howard was signed by the Atlanta Falcons on October 22, 2013, and subsequently released on November 12, 2013, having appeared in two games.

NFL statistics
Key
 * GP: games played
 * COMB: combined tackles
 * TOTAL: total tackles
 * AST: assisted tackles
 * SACK: sacks
 * FF: forced fumbles
 * FR: fumble recoveries
 * FR YDS: fumble return yards
 * INT: interceptions
 * IR YDS: interception return yards
 * AVG IR: average interception return
 * LNG: longest interception return
 * TD: interceptions returned for touchdown
 * PD: passes defensed

Family
Howard was born and raised in Lubbock, Texas and attended Lubbock Estacado High School. His father, Thomas Howard, Sr., also played in the NFL as a linebacker. Howard's cousin is singer Terry Ellis, best known as a member of En Vogue.

Philanthropy
In January 2010, Howard donated money to the Bay Area After-School All-Stars. The Bay Area After-School All-Stars is a program that provides free after school programming for underserved youth. The program currently serves 26 schools in San Jose and is looking to expand to more schools in the future. Students attend the program for four hours each day after school, doing their homework, creating art, and playing sports.

Howard launched the Thomas Howard Foundation in September 2009 to build partnerships and programs to enhance students' academic and athletic goals. The Foundation benefits youth who seek to excel in both education and organized sports activities. The signature scholarships and programs of the Thomas Howard Foundation include: The Annual Walk-On Scholarship; YFL Football Uniforms Scholarship Fund; the Are You Smarter than a 4th Grader program for school curriculum enhancement; and supporting the After-School All-Stars, providing programs that include academic support, enrichment opportunities, and health/fitness activities. Howard returned to his college town of El Paso for special programs honoring Walk-On athletes.

Death
On November 18, 2013, Howard was one of two people killed in an Oakland, California high-speed crash on Interstate Highway 880.