20 Facts About Derrick Thomas

Derrick Thomas was posthumously inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Derrick Thomas started playing football when he was three years old, and played his high school football at South Miami Senior High School.

Alongside Cornelius Bennett and later Keith McCants at Alabama, Derrick Thomas spearheaded one of the best defensive lines in college football and smashed many Crimson Tide defensive records, including sacks in a single season.

Derrick Thomas was awarded the Sington Soaring Spirit Award by the Lakeshore Foundation.

Derrick Thomas was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Derrick Thomas was selected fourth overall in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.

Derrick Thomas was the first selection made by new head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Derrick Thomas was named AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.

However, on the game's final play, Derrick Thomas had a clear shot for an eighth sack, but missed it and the Seahawks would throw a game winning touchdown after the missed sack.

Derrick Thomas finished 2nd in defensive player of the year voting and was named 1st team All-Pro.

Derrick Thomas didn't manage to record a sack on his former teammate Rich Gannon, but he did record 6 total tackles.

Derrick Thomas was named 1st team All-Pro 2 times and was named to the Pro Bowl 9 times.

Derrick Thomas is 17th all-time in sacks and at the time of his death in 2000, he was 9th all-time with 126.5.

Derrick Thomas remains the Chiefs' all-time leader in sacks, safeties, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, and defensive touchdowns.

Derrick Thomas said in interviews his favorite quarterback to sack was Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, who he sacked 26 times.

Derrick Thomas was posthumously inducted into the Chiefs Hall of Fame in 2000, with the Chiefs breaking the tradition of waiting four years after the end of the player's career.

Police reports indicated that Derrick Thomas, who was driving, was speeding at approximately 70 mph even though snow and ice were rapidly accumulating on the roadway.

The morning of February 8,2000, while being transferred from his hospital bed to a wheelchair on his way to therapy, Derrick Thomas told his mother he was not feeling well.

Eismont said Derrick Thomas went into cardiorespiratory arrest and died as a result of a pulmonary embolism, a massive blood clot that developed in his legs and traveled to his lungs.

Months later, Derrick Thomas' family sued General Motors for $73 million in damages stemming from the accident.