touchdowns (145), and third in total touchdowns (162). Tomlinson also threw seven touchdown passes and ranks second behind Walter Payton (eight) for non-quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era. Tomlinson had his No. 21 retired by the Chargers in 2015 and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, his first year of eligibility. Tomlinson is often known by his initials, L.T.. He works as an analyst on the NFL Network, and also serves as a special assistant to the Chargers' principal owner, Dean Spanos. Early years Tomlinson was born on June 23, 1979, to Loreane Chappelle and Oliver Tomlinson in Rosebud, Texas. His mother worked as a preacher; his father left the family when Tomlinson was seven years old. Tomlinson did not see his father very often afterward. He grew up with a brother and a sister and later, also a half-sister and three half-brothers. At age nine, Tomlinson joined the Pop Warner Little Scholars football program and scored a touchdown the first time he touched the ball. Tomlinson attended University High School in Waco, Texas, where he ran track and played basketball, baseball and football. Tomlinson began his football career playing as both a linebacker and a fullback, but blossomed on the offensive side of the ball; he was named to the District 10–4A second-team offense as a running back. Tomlinson amassed 2,554 yards and 39 touchdowns his senior year, earning honors as the District 25-4A Most Valuable Player and the Super Centex Offensive Player of the Year. He was named to the state all-star football team in 1997, which included future San Diego teammates Drew Brees (Austin Westlake) and Quentin Jammer (Angleton). Tomlinson was an avid Dallas Cowboys and Miami Hurricanes fan during his youth. He idolized Walter Payton and admired Emmitt Smith, Jim Brown, and Barry Sanders. Tomlinson was able to meet Smith while attending a camp run by Dallas Cowboys tight end Jay Novacek. College career Tomlinson accepted an athletic scholarship at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, then a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). He played for the TCU Horned Frogs from 1997 to 2000. Before Tomlinson's arrival, TCU had appeared in only one bowl game in the previous 12 seasons and two in the previous 31, losing both. They had recently been downgraded to a minor conference (the WAC) after the breakup of the Southwest Conference. During Tomlinson's