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Orlando Thomas
No. 42, 43
Position: Safety
Personal information
Born: (1972-10-21)October 21, 1972
Crowley, Louisiana, U.S.
Died: November 9, 2014(2014-11-09) (aged 42)
Crowley, Louisiana, U.S.
Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight: 222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school: Crowley
College: Louisiana
NFL Draft: 1995 / Round: 2 / Pick: 42
Career history
Career highlights and awards
  • NFL Interceptions leader (1995)
  • PFWA All-Rookie Team (1995)
  • First-team All-American (1994)
  • Third-team All-American (1993)
  • 2× Big West Defensive Player of the Year (1993, 1994)
  • 2× First-team All-Big West (1993, 1994)
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 457
Interceptions: 22
Touchdowns: 2
Player stats at PFR

Orlando Thomas (October 21, 1972 – November 9, 2014) was an American football player. He played as a safety in the National Football League (NFL). Orlando played his entire career with the Minnesota Vikings from 1995 to 2001.

Orlando Thomas's Football Career

Orlando Thomas was a tall and strong player. He stood 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed about 225 pounds. He was chosen by the Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Before joining the NFL, he played college football at the University of Southwestern Louisiana.

Orlando quickly became a key player for the Vikings. In his first year, he led the entire NFL with 9 interceptions. An interception is when a defensive player catches a pass meant for an opposing player. This was a fantastic start to his career.

During a playoff game in 1996, Orlando got injured while making a great play. His knee was hurt, and he had to leave the game. Despite this, he continued to play well. He played in 98 games for the Vikings, starting 87 of them. He caught a total of 22 passes from the other team during his career. He stopped playing football after the 2001 season.

Life Outside of Football

Orlando married his wife, Demetra, in 1998. They had four children together: Alexis, Angelle, Orlando Jr., and Alana. Demetra also had a child from a previous relationship.

In June 2007, Orlando shared that he was battling a serious illness called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. It makes muscles weaker over time. Orlando Thomas passed away from complications related to ALS on November 9, 2014.

NFL Career Statistics

Orlando Thomas had an impressive career in the NFL. Here are some of his statistics:

Regular Season Highlights

Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
1995 MIN 16 11 51 41 10 0.0 - 9 108 1 45 - 1 4 19 1
1996 MIN 16 16 83 65 18 0.0 - 5 57 0 34 - 2 1 0 0
1997 MIN 15 13 70 57 13 0.0 - 2 1 0 1 - 1 2 26 1
1998 MIN 16 16 69 60 9 0.5 - 2 27 0 27 - 0 0 0 0
1999 MIN 13 12 72 53 19 0.0 0 2 32 1 27 4 2 1 0 0
2000 MIN 9 9 37 30 7 1.0 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 2 0 0
2001 MIN 13 10 61 45 16 0.0 0 1 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0
Career Totals 98 87 443 351 92 1.5 1 22 225 2 45 16 6 10 45 2

Playoff Performance

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
1996 MIN 1 1 2 2 0 0.0 - 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
1997 MIN 2 0 3 3 0 0.0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1998 MIN 2 2 4 4 0 0.0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2000 MIN 1 1 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Career Totals 6 4 10 10 0 0.0 0 1 4 0 4 0 0 0 0 0
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