Lightning Set To Bolt To All-Star Game
12/23/2018 9:41:00 AM | Football
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Former UNLV star running back Lexington "Lightning" Thomas has accepted an invitation to play in the NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl, organizers announced.
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The postseason all-star game will be played Jan. 19, 2019, at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. FS1 will televise the game at 2 pm PT. Serving as head coaches this time around will be former NFL head coaches Mike Tice and Chuck Pagano, the latter of whom was UNLV's defensive coordinator in 1990-91.
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This will mark the third consecutive season a Rebel standout is set to appear in the event, following defensive lineman Mike Hughes Jr. last year and defensive back Torry McTyer and linebacker Tau Lotulelei in 2016. The other UNLV representatives in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl were quarterback Caleb Herring (2013) and defensive lineman B.J. Bell (2011).
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Thomas, out of Houston, Texas, recently became just the second UNLV running back to be named either first or second team all-conference more than once in a career. A first team selection in 2017, he earned second team in 2018.
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Thomas rushed for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while adding a career-high 19 catches for 165 receiving yards. Lightning, who posted three scoring runs longer than 70 yards this fall, broke multiple long-standing school records, including most rushing touchdowns in a career (40), most TDs scored overall (43) and most 100-yard rushing games (18). His 3,551 career rushing yards ranks second among all Rebels and eighth in Mountain West history.
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He is first Rebel running back to be selected for a postseason all-star game since Frank "The Tank" Summers was invited to the Texas vs. Nation game in 2008. Other UNLV runners to be selected over the years to a variety of all-star games were Dominique Dorsey, who played in both the Hula Bowl in Hawaii and Gridiron Classic in Florida after the 2004 campaign; Larry Croom (a school-record three games in 2003), "Jersey" Joe Haro (2002), Kevin Brown (2000), Jeremi Rudolph (2000), Henry Bailey (1994), Kirk Jones (1987), Ickey WoodÂÂs (1984), Michael Morton (1981) and two-time All-American Mike Thomas (1974).
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The postseason all-star game will be played Jan. 19, 2019, at the historic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. FS1 will televise the game at 2 pm PT. Serving as head coaches this time around will be former NFL head coaches Mike Tice and Chuck Pagano, the latter of whom was UNLV's defensive coordinator in 1990-91.
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This will mark the third consecutive season a Rebel standout is set to appear in the event, following defensive lineman Mike Hughes Jr. last year and defensive back Torry McTyer and linebacker Tau Lotulelei in 2016. The other UNLV representatives in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl were quarterback Caleb Herring (2013) and defensive lineman B.J. Bell (2011).
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Thomas, out of Houston, Texas, recently became just the second UNLV running back to be named either first or second team all-conference more than once in a career. A first team selection in 2017, he earned second team in 2018.
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Thomas rushed for 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while adding a career-high 19 catches for 165 receiving yards. Lightning, who posted three scoring runs longer than 70 yards this fall, broke multiple long-standing school records, including most rushing touchdowns in a career (40), most TDs scored overall (43) and most 100-yard rushing games (18). His 3,551 career rushing yards ranks second among all Rebels and eighth in Mountain West history.
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He is first Rebel running back to be selected for a postseason all-star game since Frank "The Tank" Summers was invited to the Texas vs. Nation game in 2008. Other UNLV runners to be selected over the years to a variety of all-star games were Dominique Dorsey, who played in both the Hula Bowl in Hawaii and Gridiron Classic in Florida after the 2004 campaign; Larry Croom (a school-record three games in 2003), "Jersey" Joe Haro (2002), Kevin Brown (2000), Jeremi Rudolph (2000), Henry Bailey (1994), Kirk Jones (1987), Ickey WoodÂÂs (1984), Michael Morton (1981) and two-time All-American Mike Thomas (1974).
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