Thurman Thomas facts for kids
Thomas at ESPN The Weekend in 2010
|
|||||||||||||
| No. 34 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | May 16, 1966 Houston, Texas, U.S. |
||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Willowridge (Houston, Texas) |
||||||||||||
| College: | Oklahoma State (1984–1987) | ||||||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1988 / Round: 2 / Pick: 40 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||||||||
|
Pro Football Hall of Fame
|
|||||||||||||
|
College Football Hall of Fame
|
|||||||||||||
Thurman Lee Thomas (born May 16, 1966) is a former American football player. He was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons. Most of his career was spent with the Buffalo Bills.
Thomas played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The Bills picked him in the second round of the 1988 NFL draft. He played for the Bills for 12 seasons. His final NFL year was with the Miami Dolphins in 2000.
While with the Bills, Thomas was a key player in their fast-paced "K-Gun" offense. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl five times. He was named first-team All-Pro twice. In 1991, he won the NFL MVP award. Thomas helped his team reach a record four straight Super Bowls from 1991 to 1994. The Bills, however, lost each of those games. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2008, he joined the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and High School Football
Thurman Thomas was born in Houston, Texas. He grew up playing football in Missouri City, Texas. He played for Missouri City Junior High School and Willowridge High School. In the 1982–83 season, Thomas led his Willowridge football team to win a Texas Class 4A State Title.
College Football Career
Thomas went to Oklahoma State University. There, he played alongside another famous running back, Barry Sanders. During his college career, Thomas ran for 4,595 yards and scored 43 touchdowns. He had 21 games where he rushed for over 100 yards.
In his senior year, Thomas was a candidate for the Heisman Trophy, finishing seventh in the voting. He was named a first-team All-American in 1985 and 1987.
Thomas led the Big Eight Conference in rushing and scoring in 1985 and 1987. He was also voted the conference's Offensive Player of the Year in both seasons. In 1985, he rushed for 1,553 yards, which was the fourth-best in the country. He suffered a knee injury in 1986 but came back strong in 1987. That year, he rushed for 1,613 yards, ranking third nationally.
Thomas left Oklahoma State as the school's all-time leading rusher. His jersey number, 34, was retired by the university. He chose this number to honor two legendary players, Earl Campbell and Walter Payton. In 2008, Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Professional Football Career
A knee injury caused Thomas to be picked later in the 1988 NFL draft. The Buffalo Bills selected him in the second round, as the 40th overall pick. Seven other running backs were chosen before him. Thomas became a key part of the Bills' offense, playing with quarterback Jim Kelly and wide receiver Andre Reed. This powerful trio helped the Bills reach four consecutive Super Bowls.
Buffalo Bills Highlights
Thomas led the AFC in rushing in 1990, 1991, and 1993. In his first three seasons, the Bills won every game where Thomas rushed for at least 100 yards. He was named to the All-Pro team in 1990 and 1991. He also played in five straight Pro Bowls from 1989 to 1993.
In 1991, Thomas was named the NFL's Most Valuable Player. He became only the eleventh player in NFL history to gain over 2,000 all-purpose yards in a single season. He is currently fifteenth on the NFL's all-time list for career rushing yards.
Thomas holds the Buffalo Bills' all-time rushing record with 11,938 yards. He also has the team record for total yards from scrimmage with 16,279 yards over twelve seasons. He is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in total yards from scrimmage for four years in a row.
Thomas is one of only eight running backs to have over 400 receptions and 10,000 rushing yards. He is also one of five running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards in eight straight seasons.
He set NFL playoff records for most career points (126) and touchdowns (21). He also had nine consecutive playoff games with a touchdown. In a 1989 playoff game, Thomas caught 13 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. This set a postseason record for receptions by a running back.
Super Bowl Appearances
Thurman Thomas and the Buffalo Bills made it to four Super Bowls in a row.
- Super Bowl XXV (1991): Thomas had a great game, rushing for 135 yards and a touchdown. He also caught five passes for 55 yards. Many thought he deserved the Super Bowl MVP award, even though the Bills lost a very close game 20-19 to the New York Giants.
- Super Bowl XXVI (1992): Before this game, Thomas's helmet was moved, causing him to miss the first two plays. He still gained 13 rushing yards and a touchdown. Teammate Bruce Smith later joked that he hid the helmet.
- Super Bowl XXVII (1993): Thomas scored the first points for his team with a two-yard touchdown run. However, he was still recovering from a hip injury. The Bills lost this game to the Dallas Cowboys 52–17.
- Super Bowl XXVIII (1994): The Bills again lost to the Cowboys, 30–13. Thomas scored the only touchdown for his team. He caught seven passes for 52 yards but lost two fumbles, which led to ten points for Dallas.
Miami Dolphins and Retirement
After the Bills released him, Thomas signed with the Miami Dolphins in 2000. He suffered a knee injury on November 12, 2000, which ended his NFL career. He played nine games for the Dolphins, rushing for 136 yards.
On February 27, 2001, Thomas signed a special one-day contract with the Bills. This allowed him to officially retire as a Buffalo Bill.
Hall of Fame Induction
Thurman Thomas was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame on February 3, 2007. He joined his former teammates, quarterback Jim Kelly and wide receiver James Lofton, in the Hall of Fame.
His jersey number, 34, was retired by the Bills on October 29, 2018. This was done to honor his amazing achievements with the team.
NFL Career Statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| AP NFL MVP & OPOTY | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular Season Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fum | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | A/G | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | R/G | |||
| 1988 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 207 | 881 | 4.3 | 37 | 2 | 58.7 | 13.8 | 18 | 208 | 11.6 | 34 | 0 | 13.9 | 1.2 | 9 |
| 1989 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 298 | 1,244 | 4.2 | 38 | 6 | 77.8 | 18.6 | 60 | 669 | 11.2 | 74 | 6 | 41.8 | 3.8 | 7 |
| 1990 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 271 | 1,297 | 4.8 | 80 | 11 | 81.1 | 16.9 | 49 | 532 | 10.9 | 63 | 2 | 33.3 | 3.1 | 6 |
| 1991 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 288 | 1,407 | 4.9 | 33 | 7 | 93.8 | 19.2 | 62 | 631 | 10.2 | 50 | 5 | 42.1 | 4.1 | 5 |
| 1992 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 312 | 1,487 | 4.8 | 44 | 9 | 92.9 | 19.5 | 58 | 626 | 10.8 | 43 | 3 | 39.1 | 3.6 | 6 |
| 1993 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 355 | 1,315 | 3.7 | 27 | 6 | 82.2 | 22.2 | 48 | 387 | 8.1 | 37 | 0 | 24.2 | 3.0 | 6 |
| 1994 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 287 | 1,093 | 3.8 | 29 | 7 | 72.9 | 19.1 | 50 | 349 | 7.0 | 28 | 2 | 23.3 | 3.3 | 1 |
| 1995 | BUF | 14 | 14 | 267 | 1,005 | 3.8 | 49 | 6 | 71.8 | 19.1 | 26 | 220 | 8.5 | 60 | 2 | 15.7 | 1.9 | 6 |
| 1996 | BUF | 15 | 15 | 281 | 1,033 | 3.7 | 36 | 8 | 68.9 | 18.7 | 26 | 254 | 9.8 | 69 | 0 | 16.9 | 1.7 | 1 |
| 1997 | BUF | 16 | 16 | 154 | 643 | 4.2 | 24 | 1 | 40.2 | 9.6 | 30 | 208 | 6.9 | 30 | 0 | 13.0 | 1.9 | 2 |
| 1998 | BUF | 14 | 3 | 93 | 381 | 4.1 | 17 | 2 | 27.2 | 6.6 | 26 | 220 | 8.5 | 26 | 1 | 15.7 | 1.9 | 0 |
| 1999 | BUF | 5 | 3 | 36 | 152 | 4.2 | 31 | 0 | 30.4 | 7.2 | 3 | 37 | 12.3 | 23 | 1 | 7.4 | 0.6 | 0 |
| 2000 | MIA | 9 | 0 | 28 | 136 | 4.9 | 25 | 0 | 15.1 | 3.1 | 16 | 117 | 7.3 | 15 | 1 | 13.0 | 1.8 | 1 |
| Career | 182 | 160 | 2,877 | 12,074 | 4.2 | 80 | 65 | 66.3 | 15.8 | 472 | 4,458 | 9.4 | 74 | 23 | 24.5 | 2.6 | 50 | |
Playoff Stats
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fum | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | A/G | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Y/G | R/G | |||
| 1988 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 11 | 81 | 7.4 | 40 | 1 | 40.5 | 5.5 | — | — | — | — | 0 | — | — | 0 |
| 1989 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 10 | 27 | 2.7 | 7 | 0 | 27.0 | 10.0 | 13 | 150 | 11.5 | 27 | 2 | 150.0 | 13.0 | 0 |
| 1990 | BUF | 3 | 3 | 72 | 390 | 5.4 | 31 | 4 | 130.0 | 24.0 | 13 | 154 | 11.8 | 20 | 0 | 51.3 | 4.3 | 3 |
| 1991 | BUF | 3 | 2 | 58 | 185 | 3.2 | 19 | 1 | 61.7 | 19.3 | 11 | 63 | 5.7 | 8 | 0 | 21.0 | 3.7 | 0 |
| 1992 | BUF | 4 | 4 | 61 | 195 | 3.2 | 24 | 1 | 48.8 | 15.3 | 14 | 102 | 7.3 | 19 | 1 | 25.5 | 3.5 | 2 |
| 1993 | BUF | 3 | 3 | 67 | 267 | 4.2 | 33 | 5 | 89.0 | 21.0 | 15 | 122 | 8.1 | 24 | 0 | 40.7 | 5.0 | 2 |
| 1995 | BUF | 2 | 2 | 38 | 204 | 5.4 | 32 | 2 | 102.0 | 19.0 | 6 | 54 | 9.0 | 18 | 1 | 27.0 | 3.0 | 2 |
| 1996 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 14 | 50 | 3.6 | 14 | 1 | 50.0 | 14.0 | 3 | 24 | 8.0 | 10 | 1 | 24.0 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 1998 | BUF | 1 | 0 | 7 | 33 | 4.7 | 12 | 1 | 33.0 | 7.0 | 1 | 3 | 3.0 | 3 | 0 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0 |
| 1999 | BUF | 1 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 2.0 | 9 | 0 | 10.0 | 5.0 | — | — | — | — | 0 | — | — | 0 |
| Career | 21 | 19 | 339 | 1,442 | 4.3 | 40 | 16 | 68.7 | 16.1 | 76 | 672 | 8.8 | 27 | 5 | 32.0 | 3.6 | 9 | |
Personal Life
Thurman Thomas is married to Patti Mariacher. She is from Buffalo and was on the Oklahoma State University golf team. They have four children: Olivia, Angel, Annika, and Thurman III.
Thomas is involved in several businesses, including sports, energy, and telecommunications. In 2014, he was named vice chair of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council.
He has also been active in community work. In 1992, he started the Thurman Thomas Foundation. He has spoken openly about mental health and the effects of concussions he experienced during his football career.
See also
In Spanish: Thurman Thomas para niños
