Meet Thomas Evans, ex-football star who quit NFL career to chase strongman dream and deadlifted 855lbs this year
THOMAS Evans used to move NFL linemen around on the field, and now he's chasing to become one of the strongest men in the world.
Evans, 28, is an ex-footballer player turned strongman and has set out lofty goals to achieve.
He was a standout football player for the University of Richmond before going undrafted in 2017 and signing on with the Green Bay Packers for a season.
After retiring from football, the 28-year-old began training for professional weightlifting and cited gridiron as one reason.
He told Musculardelveloment.com in an interview about the transition and similarities:
"I've always loved lifting weights, and that was a big part of how I played the game of football. There's more carry-over than people would realize," Evans said.
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"You're training as hard as you can for a goal; it doesn't matter if you're part of the team or an individual athlete."
"Looking at the athlete as a whole picture is pretty important in either one of those sports, and making sure you're touching all your bases in your training."
He also mentioned a Netflix show that came out right around the time he decided to step away from football, which sparked his passion for pursuing becoming a Strongman.
"About the time I was done with football was when 'Born Strong' came out on Netflix. I watched that a couple of times and said, hey, why can't I do this?" he noted.
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"Watching that show, I thought, I can be there one day. That day is coming."
That day indeed did come.
In 2022 Evans competed at the Arnold Amateur Strongman Championships and brought home the title "World's Top Amateur Strongman."
He currently works as a strength coach at the University of Delaware as he trains to become the World's Strongest man — something he hopes to achieve in the next few years.
"There's potential to get there quicker, but there's no give-me's. You've gotta fight, scratch, and claw for every opportunity you get."
Evan competed in the 2023 Arnold Strongman Classic and finished fifth and had a staggering 855-pound deadlift.