August 18, 2004
Texas A&M senior defensive lineman Thomas Carriger has decided to retire from playing football due to repeated shoulder injuries.
"Thomas is one of the toughest young men I have been around in coaching," Aggie head coach Dennis Franchione said. "It is very unfortunate that the shoulder injuries will not allow him to continue to play football, but his health and well-being are the most important issues."
Carriger, from Skidmore-Tynan High School, signed with Texas A&M as a defensive lineman in 2001. A rash of injuries to the tight end position forced Carriger to move to offense and he started the final six games of his freshman year at tight end. An excellent blocker, he did not have a reception during the regular season but caught two passes for 57 yards against TCU in the galleryfurniture.com Bowl in Houston.
His sophomore year, Carriger caught two passes for 18 yards including a touchdown grab against Baylor. He started eight games at tight end. Last year, Carriger started five games at tight end but did not record a reception.