Thurman Thomas Hall of Fame Feature

Thurman Thomas slipped to the second round of the 1988 National Football League Draft due to concern about a knee injury he had suffered during his senior year at Oklahoma State. The Buffalo Bills, who had no first round pick that year, selected Thomas, an All-America running back, in the second round with the 40th overall pick.

In 1989, after an impressive rookie season that included a division title for the Bills, the multi-dimensional Thomas rushed for 1,000 yards, caught 60 passes, and scored 12 touchdowns in his second season.

His ability to catch the ball as well as run with it was a key ingredient to the Bills' "No Huddle" offensive attack. The team improved to 13-3 in 1990 as Thomas led the NFL in all-purpose yards. He rushed for 1,297 yards and scored 11 touchdowns while catching 49 passes for 532 yards and two touchdowns. With the versatile back leading the way, the Bills marched through the playoffs to the first of their unprecedented four straight Super Bowl berths.

Thomas rushed for 100 yards in each of the playoff games that post-season including Super Bowl XXV when he gained 135 yards on just 15 carries and scored on a 31-yard run early in the fourth quarter. He also had 5 receptions for 55 yards.

In 1991, Thomas amassed more than 2,000 all-purpose yards, just the 11th player ever to do so. His league-leading yardage output included 1,407 yards on the ground and an additional 631 yards on a career-high 62 receptions. He scored 12 touchdowns. He reached the 2,000-yard total again the following season which marked a record fourth straight season of leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage.

Named to the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1990s, Thomas was selected first- or second-team All-Pro and All-AFC five times, and was voted to the Pro Bowl five straight years. Thomas retired as the NFL's ninth ranked rusher with 12,074 yards and added another 4,458 yards on 472 catches. He scored 65 rushing and 23 receiving touchdowns in his 13-season career.

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[guevaraz101]

He was my favorite Running Back. When I Was a kid, and had the chance to see the glory days of the Hall Of Famers Marv Levy, Jim Kelly, Bruuuuuuuuuce Smith and Thurman Thomas.

late 80's early 90's fantastic period....

[WreckingCrewResurgen]

2nd best RB of the 90's Barry #1 Thomas #2 Smith #3

[abdufiadbfajdfb]

TOUCHDOWN!!!

[spaz123430]

Thurman thomas is a beast. I cannot wait to see cj spiller become.the bills next great runningback. Fred jackson is also good.

[Khoa Duong]

He had an injury LOL. drafting someone with an injury before draft is a high risk

[William Hoffman]

Thurman Thomas is a Republican, imagine that.

[William Hoffman]

Don't let Bruce Smith fool you. He is the oldest, then Andre, then Thurman.

[Shawn Johnson]

They made a mistake by not drafting him. Why oh why did they not draft him that was crazy! He is now a Hall of Famer! I bet next time they'll stop doubting NFL players when drafting, because you can never judge a book by its cover.

[Shawn Johnson]

I support this message. LOL

[Melidian1]

Agreed - not only was TT a fast & elusive runner at his best, he also doubled as a legit receiving threat. I like RB's who can catch, & TT led the league in yards from scrimmage 4 times because of his ability to do that. It was he almost as much as Jim Kelly that made the "No-Huddle" run so efficiently. It's a shame TT became the butt of so-many cruel Super Bowl jokes, but the Buffalo Bills accomplished an amazing feat in earning 4 SB appearances. Thanks for the memories 90-93 AFC champs!