| Willie Thornton | |
| Import: | yes |
| Position1: | Wide receiver |
| Birth Date: | 15 February 1986 |
| Birth Place: | Belle Glade, Florida, U.S. |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 10 |
| Weight Lbs: | 180 |
| Nfldraftedyear: | 2009 |
| Nfldraftedround: | Undrafted |
| Playing Years1: | 2009 |
| Playing Team1: | Edmonton Eskimos |
| Playing Years2: | 2010 |
| Playing Team2: | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| Career Footnotes: | |
| Cfl: | 2585 |
William Thornton (born February 15, 1986) is a former professional Canadian football wide receiver. He played college football at Texas A&M-Commerce, and played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL) in 2010.
Thornton played college football at Texas A&M-Commerce. On September 20, 2008, he caught seven passes for 266 yards in a 38-14 win against Eastern New Mexico. Thornton also had four touchdown catches in the game, including one for 98 yards on the opening play.[1] As a result, he was named Lone Star Conference North player of the week.[2] As a senior, Thornton caught 48 passes for 923 yards and 10 touchdowns.[3]
Thornton was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos during training camp in 2009.[4]
Thornton signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 26, 2010,[4] but he was sustained torn thumb ligaments during a collision with another player in training camp.[5] He was released on June 8, 2010.[6] He was signed to the team's practice roster on September 8, 2010,[6] and released on September 29.[7] He was re-signed to the practice roster on October 11.[8] He was promoted to the active roster on November 4,[9] and played in the team's November 6 game against the BC Lions.[10] He was released by the Tiger-Cats in April 2011.[11]