Derrick Thomas
Thomas with the Kansas City Chiefs
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| No. 58 | |||||||||||
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| Position: | Outside linebacker / defensive end | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Date of birth: | January 1, 1967 | ||||||||||
| Place of birth: | Miami, Florida | ||||||||||
| Date of death: | February 8, 2000 (aged 33) | ||||||||||
| Place of death: | Kansas City, MO | ||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight: | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school: | Miami (FL) South | ||||||||||
| College: | Alabama | ||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4 | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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| Tackles: | 642 |
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| Sacks: | 126.5 |
| Forced fumbles: | 41 |
| Interceptions: | 1 |
| Player stats at NFL.com | |
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). He played his entire 11-year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft. Thomas, a member of the class of 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame, was a premier football player throughout the 1990s and is considered one of the best pass rushers of all time. In 1990 against the Seattle Seahawks, he set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game. On February 8, 2000, Thomas died from a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled to his lungs, causing a pulmonary embolism. His paralysis was the result of severe injuries sustained in a car accident weeks earlier.
Born in Miami, Florida, Thomas was raised by his mother. His father, Air Force Captain and B-52 pilot Robert James Thomas, died during a mission in the Vietnam War. Thomas started playing football when he was three years old. He played high school football at South Miami Senior High School.
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. He was awarded the Butkus Award in 1988 after a season which saw him set an NCAA record 27 sacks along with finishing 10th in Heisman Trophy balloting. He currently holds the single season NCAA FBS sack record with 27 and what was the career sack record with 52 career sacks. He was also selected as a unanimous All-American at the conclusion of the 1988 season, a season which culminated in the Crimson Tide's thrilling 29-28 victory over Army in the 1988 Sun Bowl. In 2000, Thomas was named a Sun Bowl Legend. He was awarded the Sington Soaring Spirit Award by the Lakeshore Foundation. This annual award is named for University of Alabama football legend Fred Sington. Thomas was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
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