Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Sports News

Emmitt Thomas named Falcons' interim coach

|
|
 
  
Published: Dec. 12, 2007 at 3:32 PM

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Five-time Pro Bowl defensive back and current Atlanta Falcons secondary coach Emmitt Thomas has been hired to complete the season as the Falcons' head coach.

Thomas replaces Bobby Petrino, who abruptly resigned Tuesday to take the coaching position at the University of Arkansas. Petrino was on the job less than a year and the Falcons were 3-10 under him.

Thomas will be the team's interim head coach for the final three games of the 2007 season.

He has been a part of the Falcons organization since 2002, most recently as coach of the team's defensive backs. He also has been a defensive coordinator at Philadelphia, Green Bay and Minnesota and has been an NFL assistant coach since 1981.

Thomas was selected to the Pro Bowl five times during a 13-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played in both Super Bowl I and Super Bowl IV.

Before Thomas' move to the head coach's office, the week been bad news for the Falcons. On Monday suspended quarterback Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for his guilty plea in a dogfighting case, the team was beaten 34-14 by New Orleans on Monday night and Tuesday Petrino quit.

Topics: Bobby Petrino, Emmitt Thomas, Michael Vick
Recommended Stories
© 2007 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Linsanity The Daytona 500 Cheerleaders of 2012
Additional Sports News Stories
1 of 27
Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego wins Finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
View Caption
Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego, California watches confetti rain down as she wins the two-day Scripps National Spelling Bee championship, May 31, 2012, in National Harbor, Maryland. Nandipati successfully spelled the word .* guetapens *, meaning to lure or ambush. UPI/Mike Theiler
fark
The 21 absolute worst things in the world (not a slideshow). Bonus: #21
Egg-ception
How bad are things in Detroit? Even the fish are being murdered
Nineteen things that will drive your OCD self insane
Who were you in high school? Band geek? Emo chick? Math nerd? Deep-in-the-closet homophobe? Captain...
Today's mass mall shooting brought to you by Toronto, ON