He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. [1st] Most Opponents Fumbles Forced, Career - 45 Thomas, a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, was named first-team All-AFC seven times during an eight-year stretch from 1989 through 1996. QB Drew Brees RB Alvin Kamara WR Michael Thomas Seahawks. It helps soften the memory that the touchdown was called back because of holding but it's what . Top AV: John Hannah (112) Colleges Index. Derrick Thomas was a true hero, said former Chiefs quarterback Bill Kenney, a Missouri state senator. The Military College of South Carolina Main Navigation Menu. I remember dropping to the left and then I set up to throw the ball and I got hit and I was hyperventilating. During his time at Alabama, from 1985-88, Thomas was considered by many as one of the most dominant pass rushers in college football history. Thomas had 10 or more sacks in a season seven times and recorded multi-sack games 27 times during his 169-game career. "Oh my Lord. He played three years of college basketball in Division II for the UCCS Mountain Lions before transferring to the Division I Colorado Buffaloes for his final season.. White was drafted 29th overall by the 2017 NBA draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Thomas started as the roaming linebacker. "Forty-four pressures?" College Football at Sports-Reference.com Blog and Articles. Derrick Thomas was born on January 1, 1967. Do you have a sports website? Derrick in his first year as a rookie had 75 tackles, 10 sacks, three fumbles caused. What struck former Ole Miss quarterback Mark Young most, though, was Thomas' intensity and just how "fierce" he was. That just doesn't happen. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Multiple reports say that former Alabama and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker . Former Texas A&M quarterback Lance Pavlas said he was happy to escape with nothing but a "hurt ego" when Thomas sacked him a season-high five times in the final game of the regular season. But at least I got the chance to play against someone that special. "Derrick Thomas, the best.". Alongside Cornelius Bennett and later Keith McCants at Alabama, Thomas spearheaded one of the best defensive lines in college football and smashed many Crimson Tide defensive records, including sacks in a single season. Slack got the call from a friend in tears. He came back to Marty and I, and he said, what do you think? He might have been taken one pick ahead of Deion Sanders in the first round of the 1989 NFL draft, but Thomas wasn't flashy like "Prime Time. Left and right arrows move across top level links and expand / close menus in sub levels. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. He also recorded a team high six forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, 63 tackles, five pass deflections and 35 quarterback pressures. During his career, he received nine Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro selections, and set the single-game sacks record. And he was definitely one of those guys I watched and wanted to see have success. And those stats were because of the catalyst, Derrick Thomas. 5 Kicks blocked by Thomas (four punts and one field-goal attempt) - the Alabama career record. Thomas was named 1st team All-Pro 2 times and was named to the Pro Bowl 9 times. Join Now. Central Michigan's Joe Ostman and Arkansas State's Ja'Von Rolland-Jones finished Nos. "It was one of those situations where when you hear it you can't believe it," Mitchell said. To a man, no one who played against Thomas was surprised when he was drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989, made the first of nine Pro Bowls as a rookie that season and led the league in sacks a year later. He was big as a defensive end (6-3/255) but fast like a safety. High School: Barbers Hill '2016. I just know this: Derrick will hang over this stadium forever. Derrick Thomas College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits | College Football at Sports-Reference.com Derrick Thomas School: Alabama Position: LB Heisman Voting : 10th in 1988 Draft: 1st round, 4th overall of the 1989 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs Derrick Thomas Overview Derrick Thomas NFL Stats On this page: Punt & Kick Returns Scoring He gave him every linebacker drill he knew. All structured data from the main, Property, Lexeme, and EntitySchema namespaces is available under the Creative Commons CC0 License; text in the other namespaces is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. [Tied for 1st] Most Safeties, Season - 1 (1994, 1997, 1998) Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Ironically, some of the quarterbacks ESPN spoke to didn't even know they were part of what's viewed as one of the game's most unattainable records. He recorded a league-leading and team record 20 sacks that included an NFL record seven sacks in a game versus the Seattle Seahawks on November 11, 1990. In the famous "Hurricane Game" that was postponed from the beginning of the season due to Hurricane Gilbert, Thomas recorded aschool-record seven tackles for loss in a 30-10 Alabama win. He recorded three tackles. Derrick Thomas Amateur & College Leagues Statistics | Baseball-Reference.com Stathead Derrick Thomas Derrick Thomas Overview Amateur & College Lg Stats More More Derrick Thomas Pages at Baseball Reference Derrick Thomas page at the Bullpen Wiki On this page: Player News Register Batting Register Fielding Teams Played For Full Site Menu Player News "The thing about Derrick was he was as quick as those guys, he had that spin move like a Freeney, but he was powerful enough to go through you. He rarely missed a tackle and saw the field as well as. Derrick is a football player; he was always the type of person who was always like a trend setter. It's appropriate that he takes his place beside the other two great Kansas City Hall of Fame linebackers who are here, Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier. / Near Mint Condition!! Today we honor Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas. ", How'd it feel to be sacked by Derrick Thomas? "I think he was kind of the prototype," Pavlas said. Players: 381 pro players. He had such power, but he was just an incredible athlete. Do you have a blog? George Derrick.286: Team Leaders: Win Loss Percentage; Player High; Win Loss Percentage; Reeves, Cameron: 100: The NCAA did not recognize the 'sack' as an official statistic until 2000. All rights reserved (About Us). Kermit Kendrick laughed while recalling the time he gave up a long touchdown pass on an October afternoon when the University of Alabama was playing host to Penn State at Legion Field. Alabama. NFL Records. Enshrined into thePro Football Hall of Fame: August 8, 2009 Derrick Thomas Autographed Signed 1989 Topps Traded #90T Rookie - Beckett COA - Deceased WIN $1384.60 $899.99 free shipping Derrick Thomas Autographed Signed Single Official Wilson NFL Football PSA DNA COA DER $4384.60 $2849.99 free shipping Derrick Thomas Autographed Signed Auto Autograph 1989 Pro Set Rookie Rc JSA/DNA Certified WIN $1538.45 With a victory in the game, the Chiefs would qualify for the playoffs. 55 to honor former Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, the Pro . The Combine is the preeminent showcase for the NFL . Worchester State's Russ Watson is also tied with Suggs, regardless of division, with 24 sacks of his own at the Division III level in 2000. Sept. 12, 2014. Do you have a blog? Born: January 1, 1967 in Miami, Florida, USA Died: February 8, 2000 (33 years old) College: Alabama Total Cards: 76 Pro Football Hall of Fame (2009) Tweet The following season, he would record his first career touchdown on a 23-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the Chiefs week 11 game against the Los Angeles Rams. As a matter of policy, Sports Reference only reports the results of games as played on the field. . A decade in which our team, the one that Derrick started on, accounted for more than 10 victories. See our list of forfeits and vacated games for more details. His relationship with the fans of Kansas City was just tremendous. We present them here for purely educational purposes. Appropriately Derrick got his 100th career sack off of John, and a thrilling 24-22 win over the Broncos in 1997. ! He's a student of the game, who continues to model his game after an all-timer like . Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. ?#ChiefsKingdom | #ThankYouDT pic.twitter.com/b1HEZ5osRm. Like so many others, he couldn't believe it. All images are property the copyright holder and are displayed here for informational purposes only. On February 8, 2000, Chiefs legend Derrick Thomas was involved in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. [3] Thomas started playing football when he was three years old, and played his high school football at South Miami Senior High School. ", Texas A&M, for its part, tried to get rid of the ball quickly. Derrick Thomas was elected into the Hall of Fame as a Player in 2009. A consensus All-America and Dick Butkus Award winner at Alabama, Thomas excelled as a pass rusher who set the school record for sacks. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. You have ups and downs, and then all of a sudden, it's drawing to the conclusion, everybody is in suspense, it's building, and building, and boom, you have a hero.''. Baker said. That's where his intimidation came from, the fact that you knew what he was capable of. Alabama Players/Alumni. Thomas had 18 sacks in 1987, setting an Alabama single-season record that he broke the next year with 27. Forged by the fact that we both came to Kansas City about the same time, and Derrick was my first draft pick. Alabama caught on to the Owls' motions, taking the pitch back away. As a freshman, Harmon-Thomas took two golds and two silvers at the state meet. Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). 32 Derrick Thomas Position Guard Height 6-4 Weight 185 Class Senior Hometown New York, N.Y. High School St. John's College High School (D.C.) Bio Stats Historical Biography One of three Drexel seniorshas started 90 games and appeared in 93 during his careerenters his final season with 663 career points and 176 assists. 3 Alabama football players who have won the SEC Athlete of the Year Award, with Thomas in 1989 following Cornelius Bennett in 1987 and preceding Mark Ingram in 2010. Derrick Vincent Thomas (January 1, 1967 - February 8, 2000), nicknamed D.T., was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). They do what they're supposed to do and they go back to the huddle. In the 11 years that Thomas anchored the defense, the Chiefs finished first or second in the AFC West ten times, made seven playoff appearances, and won three division titles. All these years later, Mitchell said he remembers Thomas being a genuine person. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. Thomas had what can only be described as a presence. [14] Later that same year, the Chiefs retired the number 58 in honor of him. [Tied for 2nd] Most Touchdowns on Opponents' Fumble Recoveries, Career - 4 Considered one of the greatest pass rushers of all time,[1] he played 11 seasons with the Chiefs until his death in 2000. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. I jumped up and started running to the sidelines. No player amassed more sacks during the decade of 1990s than the 116.5 sacks by Thomas. Sign up for daily stories delivered to your inbox. As much as he was Derrick Thomas the football player, I mean Derrick Thomas the dad was, you know, who I remember him as, said Thomas son, Derrion Thomas. [16] Thomas and one of the passengers were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the car; the passenger, Michael Tellis, was killed instantly. ), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Derrick_Thomas&oldid=1141039555, National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners, National Football League players with retired numbers, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Short description is different from Wikidata, NFL player missing current team parameter, Infobox NFL biography articles missing alt text, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Career statistics and player information from, This page was last edited on 23 February 2023, at 01:35. "He was just quick as a cat," Francis said. Derrick To Be Great. 3 career safeties. In his 11 seasons with the Chiefs, the Chiefs' defense ranked in the top 10 nine of those years. [2] His father, Air Force Captain and B-52 pilot Robert James Thomas, died during a mission in the Vietnam War. Ford decided to go with No. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Following his senior season, Thomas was labeled a hot commodity among NFL coaches and managers. ", "She said, 'Little bruise?! In his second season, he doubled his sack total, leading the NFL with 20. But to those who played against him, there has never been and nor will there ever be another Derrick Thomas. Derrick was kind of more on the Reggie White-type situation where he didn't do all the talking, he just made play after play. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Its devastating to me, Kansas City Chiefs then-coach Gunther Cunningham said. These Derrick Henry fantasy football names pay tribute to one of the most dominating runners in the NFL. January 1,1967 Rehabilitation. Bottom Line: University of Alabama The University of Alabama won five national titles from 2009 to 2017. We can think back to the closing moments of close games and how the Arrowhead Stadium crowd would chant his name. It served nearly 1,000 children from kindergarten through eighth grade until it closed in 2013.[20]. Thomas went on to be the fourth-overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft and played 11 Hall-of-Fame seasons of pro football wearing No. In three seasons, he recorded 52.0 sacks, which are seven more than the current FBS record of 45.0 held by Louisiana Tech's Jaylon Ferguson. Derrick Thomas Stats, Fantasy & News Scores & Schedule . "But when he got on the football field, he knew how to flip that switch.". For the British agricultural researcher, see, Starting in 2013, the sack leader is officially given the Deacon Jones Award, Southeastern Conference Athlete of the Year winners, Kansas City Chiefs first-round draft picks, "Whizzer" White NFL Man of the Year Award, "Derrick Thomas still chief in minds of Kansas City faithful as Super Bowl approaches", "Remembering Capt. He did that again two other times in his career. Emanuel King's 11 sacks in 1983 had been the school record and still ranks third. [1] As of the 2009-2010 school year, the Academy served approximately 1,000 students in Grades PreK-8. During that 1988 campaign under head coach Bill Curry, the Crimson Tide finished 9-3 and defeated Army in the Sun Bowl. Kansas City. He was awarded the Butkus Award in 1988. It's also available for basketball, baseball and hockey. His contribution to the Chiefs franchise was nearly immeasurable. All rights reserved. [Tied for 3rd] Most Defensive Touchdowns, Career - 4, [1st] Most Sacks, Career - 7.5 "We don't get caught up in stats, but that's phenomenal," Hodson said. The second team was the New York Giants at a plus 69. Unforgettable, Breaking down the latest in 2024 football recruiting, from top commits to March visits, The Turnover Luck Index: Rating every 2022 team, from USC to Rutgers, Hall of Fame coach Ault named to CFP committee, Top draft prospect Carter charged in fatal crash, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, NCAA panel eyes shorter football games in 2023, Ex-Vols staffers agree to show-cause penalties, UNC hires ex-Browns HC Kitchens as assistant, Syracuse QB Shrader to miss spring practice, Kiper's updated NFL mock draft: Who's moving up for a QB? Create a play or a serious of plays that swings the momentum of that game in the favor of your team. Derrick Thomas Derrick Vincent Thomas. 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