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What do the voters have against Derrick Thomas?
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:21 pm
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:21 pm
Now that the college football season is here, I would like to dedicate a few minutes to Derrick Thomas (Alabama 1985-88). Once again, in 2013, Derrick Thomas was snubbed by the College Football Hall of Fame.
In 1988, while playing for Alabama, Thomas set a FBS NCAA record with 27 sacks. He also won the 1988 Butkus Award, was a unanimously voted All-American the same year, and was 10th in the 1988 Heisman Trophy balloting. For his career he had 52 sacks, which was also a NCAA FBS record (later tied by Arizona's Tedy Bruschi).
Derrick was the fourth pick in the 1st round in the 1989 NFL Draft, went on to play 11 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, played in 9 Pro Bowls, and was a 3x 1st team All-Pro. On February 8, 2000 Derrick Thomas died of injuries he sustained from a car accident (aged 33). On January 31, 2009, Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Is there some sort of scandal we are not aware of like PEDs in baseball (Palmerio, Mcguire, Bonds, Sosa, etc)?
Or is it because he only had one good year in college?
In 1988, while playing for Alabama, Thomas set a FBS NCAA record with 27 sacks. He also won the 1988 Butkus Award, was a unanimously voted All-American the same year, and was 10th in the 1988 Heisman Trophy balloting. For his career he had 52 sacks, which was also a NCAA FBS record (later tied by Arizona's Tedy Bruschi).
Derrick was the fourth pick in the 1st round in the 1989 NFL Draft, went on to play 11 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, played in 9 Pro Bowls, and was a 3x 1st team All-Pro. On February 8, 2000 Derrick Thomas died of injuries he sustained from a car accident (aged 33). On January 31, 2009, Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Is there some sort of scandal we are not aware of like PEDs in baseball (Palmerio, Mcguire, Bonds, Sosa, etc)?
Or is it because he only had one good year in college?
9
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:23 pm to DaleDenton
DT 
GOAT
Atwater would be my next fav
GOAT
Atwater would be my next fav
This post was edited on 8/29/13 at 12:24 pm
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:23 pm to DaleDenton
Back to the Big 12 board troll
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:23 pm to DaleDenton
Took 6 years for Danny Wuerffel to get in (this year).
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:23 pm to DaleDenton
yeah i think it's because he really just had the one year. Could put him in anyway though. CFB Hall of Fame is pretty shitty, there are like 6 or 7 LSU players who should be in but aren't.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:25 pm to Draconian Sanctions
How the hell do you get 27 sacks?
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:28 pm to GumpMaster&Commander
quote:
How the hell do you get 27 sacks?
By obliterating 54 offensive linemen and 27 quarterbacks. Some may have been repeat obliterations, of course.
This post was edited on 8/29/13 at 12:29 pm
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:28 pm to DaleDenton
IMO, if Derrick Thomas didn't win the Heisman with the stats he put up, no DL should ever win the Heisman without putting up better stats.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:29 pm to GumpMaster&Commander
quote:
How the hell do you get 27 sacks?
He also had some insane hurry total that year as well.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:32 pm to AllBamaDoesIsWin
1988
39 tackles for loss
27 sacks
45 QB hurries
39 tackles for loss
27 sacks
45 QB hurries
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:35 pm to DaleDenton
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:35 pm to GerryDiNardo
Well it was the same year as Barry Sanders and his ridiculous season.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:38 pm to DaleDenton
He didn't have just one good year. He had a great, all-time type year in the midst of other good years.
The following teams have more players in the CFB Hall of Fame than Alabama:
ND
Michigan
USC
Ohio State
Army
Pitt
Oklahoma
Penn State
Minnesota
Princeton
Yale
Navy
In fact of the top 21 teams with players in the CFB Hall of Fame only Tennessee (ranked 12th) and Alabama (ranked 14th) are from the Southeast. There has possibly been some bias in the Hall of Fame voting in the past.
Still, given some of the LBs that have made it in the last few years, it is more than surprising that Thomas still isn't in.
The following teams have more players in the CFB Hall of Fame than Alabama:
ND
Michigan
USC
Ohio State
Army
Pitt
Oklahoma
Penn State
Minnesota
Princeton
Yale
Navy
In fact of the top 21 teams with players in the CFB Hall of Fame only Tennessee (ranked 12th) and Alabama (ranked 14th) are from the Southeast. There has possibly been some bias in the Hall of Fame voting in the past.
Still, given some of the LBs that have made it in the last few years, it is more than surprising that Thomas still isn't in.
This post was edited on 8/29/13 at 12:40 pm
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:41 pm to DaleDenton
ESPN did a piece a while back about the greatest individual seasons in SEC history - Thomas' 1988 season was ranked 4th ever. Read that - EVER.
Here's a list of Alabama players not in. Some of those names might be a "teensy" bit familiar:
Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Shaun Alexander, Tommy Lewis, Bart Starr, Ray Perkins, Wilbur Jackson, E. J. Junior, Bob Baumhower, Tommy Wilcox, Paul Crane, Don McNeal, Dwight Stephenson, Mike Pitts, Keith McCants, John Copeland, Eric Curry, Antonio Langham
Derrick Thomas also had 74 career TFL (39 in 1988), and 7 blocked kicks in his career.
Some consider him second in the history of the NFL at the position, only behind LT.
The players that got in this year?
Percy Snow of Michigan State, Tedy Bruschi of Arizona, and Oklahoma linebacker Rod Shoate.
...
Who?
quote:
Derrick Thomas, OLB, Alabama, 1988: When you start talking about pure stats and gaudy numbers, it's hard to top what Thomas accomplished during the 1988 season. He set an SEC record with 39 tackles for loss, including an NCAA record 27 sacks. Thomas, who died in 2000, also had an incredible 45 quarterback hurries that season. He completely took over the Penn State game with three sacks and a safety, and to this day, remains the standard for rushing the passer in this league. Former Alabama coach Bill Curry called him the "best football player I ever coached."
Here's a list of Alabama players not in. Some of those names might be a "teensy" bit familiar:
Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Shaun Alexander, Tommy Lewis, Bart Starr, Ray Perkins, Wilbur Jackson, E. J. Junior, Bob Baumhower, Tommy Wilcox, Paul Crane, Don McNeal, Dwight Stephenson, Mike Pitts, Keith McCants, John Copeland, Eric Curry, Antonio Langham
Derrick Thomas also had 74 career TFL (39 in 1988), and 7 blocked kicks in his career.
Some consider him second in the history of the NFL at the position, only behind LT.
The players that got in this year?
Percy Snow of Michigan State, Tedy Bruschi of Arizona, and Oklahoma linebacker Rod Shoate.
...
Who?
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:42 pm to DaleDenton
ESPN did a piece a while back about the greatest individual seasons in SEC history - Thomas' 1988 season was ranked 4th ever. Read that - EVER.
Here's a list of Alabama players not in. Some of those names might be a "teensy" bit familiar:
Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Shaun Alexander, Tommy Lewis, Bart Starr, Ray Perkins, Wilbur Jackson, E. J. Junior, Bob Baumhower, Tommy Wilcox, Paul Crane, Don McNeal, Dwight Stephenson, Mike Pitts, Keith McCants, John Copeland, Eric Curry, Antonio Langham
Derrick Thomas also had 74 career TFL (39 in 1988), and 7 blocked kicks in his career.
Some consider him second in the history of the NFL at the position, only behind LT.
The players that got in this year?
Percy Snow of Michigan State, Tedy Bruschi of Arizona, and Oklahoma linebacker Rod Shoate.
...
Who?
quote:
Derrick Thomas, OLB, Alabama, 1988: When you start talking about pure stats and gaudy numbers, it's hard to top what Thomas accomplished during the 1988 season. He set an SEC record with 39 tackles for loss, including an NCAA record 27 sacks. Thomas, who died in 2000, also had an incredible 45 quarterback hurries that season. He completely took over the Penn State game with three sacks and a safety, and to this day, remains the standard for rushing the passer in this league. Former Alabama coach Bill Curry called him the "best football player I ever coached."
Here's a list of Alabama players not in. Some of those names might be a "teensy" bit familiar:
Joe Namath, Kenny Stabler, Shaun Alexander, Tommy Lewis, Bart Starr, Ray Perkins, Wilbur Jackson, E. J. Junior, Bob Baumhower, Tommy Wilcox, Paul Crane, Don McNeal, Dwight Stephenson, Mike Pitts, Keith McCants, John Copeland, Eric Curry, Antonio Langham
Derrick Thomas also had 74 career TFL (39 in 1988), and 7 blocked kicks in his career.
Some consider him second in the history of the NFL at the position, only behind LT.
The players that got in this year?
Percy Snow of Michigan State, Tedy Bruschi of Arizona, and Oklahoma linebacker Rod Shoate.
...
Who?
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:43 pm to Draconian Sanctions
All southern teams are under-represented in the Hall. Bama only has 18 while Notre Dame has over 40 and Michigan 30.
And he had 25 sacks before his final unbelievable season, so if wasn't "just the one year."
And he had 25 sacks before his final unbelievable season, so if wasn't "just the one year."
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:45 pm to skrayper
quote:
Dwight Stephenson
quote:
Tommy Wilcox
quote:
John Copeland, Eric Curry
absolutely no excuse whatsoever they aren't in already, along with DT.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:46 pm to Alahunter
quote:
1988
39 tackles for loss
27 sacks
45 QB hurries
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:52 pm to CBandits82
Bama had a run with great LB's in the 80's.
Cornelius Bennett 3 time AA
Derrick Thomas 1 time AA
Keith McCants 1 time AA
5 AA honors among those three, not to mention, Thomas Boyd 2 time AA in 80 and 81.
Cornelius Bennett 3 time AA
Derrick Thomas 1 time AA
Keith McCants 1 time AA
5 AA honors among those three, not to mention, Thomas Boyd 2 time AA in 80 and 81.
Posted on 8/29/13 at 12:55 pm to Alahunter
I've heard some people say that his ummm.... off-field lifestyle has kept some for voting for him, but that's garbage.
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