Zach Thomas

In a defensive 7-7 tie ballgame heading late into the 4th quarter, Thomas intercepted A Pass and returned it 25 yards for a touchdown with :34 seconds remaining, helping Texas Tech snap their five game losing streak to Texas A&M, winning by a final score of 14–7.

Thomas finished the game with 12 combined tackles, one fumble recovery, and the game-clinching interception return for a touchdown.

Zachary Michael Thomas (born September 1, 1973) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons.

He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and was recognized as a unanimous All-American.

Thomas and his older brother, Bart, were high school teammates at White Deer High School in White Deer, Texas; in 1988, Thomas' freshman year, the White Deer team went 16–0 and won the Class 1A state championship.

Thomas attended Texas Tech University, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker for the Texas Tech Red Raider football team.

Texas A&M entered the game riding a five game winning streak against Texas Tech dating back to 1990.

As a junior in 1994, he was a second-team All-American.

As a senior in 1995, he was a unanimous first-team All-American, the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and a finalist for the Butkus Award.

Thomas is one of 5 Red Raiders to be named a Unanimous All-American along with Mark Bounds, Byron Hanspard, Michael Crabtree, and Jace Amaro.

He recorded 390 tackles, including a career-high 131 tackles and a school-record 20 tackles against Georgia in his senior season.

Thomas and his brother Bart were the only pair of brothers to be named first-team All-Southwest Conference selections in the same year.

Thomas' most memorable and infamous college game for Texas Tech, occurred on October 7, 1995, against rival Texas A&M University.

He was selected in the fifth round, 22nd pick (154th overall), in the 1996 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, and played for the Dolphins in his first 12 seasons in the NFL, before playing his 13th and final season with the Dallas Cowboys.

In his rookie year in 1996, Thomas was voted the Dolphins Team Newcomer of the Year, and also won his first of two Dolphins Team MVP awards (1996, 2001).

He was also named the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996.

The Miami Dolphins selected Thomas in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 1996 NFL draft.

Thomas was the second linebacker the Dolphins drafted in 1996, joining their fourth round pick Baylor linebacker LaCurtis Jones (126th overall).

Thomas was initially drafted to join special teams after the Miami Dolphins' special teams coordinator Mike Westhoff recommended him to head coach Jimmy Johnson.

On July 3, 1996, the Miami Dolphins signed Thomas to a three-year, $577,000 contract at the league minimum.

He impressed the Dolphins' coaching staff during training camp and quickly rose up the depth chart to compete for the job as the starting middle linebacker against Jack Del Rio.

Head coach Jimmy Johnson officially named Thomas the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season.

On August 3, 1996, the Miami Dolphins subsequently released Del Rio due to the sudden emergence of Thomas.

He made his professional regular season debut and first career start in the Miami Dolphins' season-opener at home, against the New England Patriots and made nine combined tackles and his first career sack in their 24–10 victory.

Thomas made his first career tackle on Patriots' running back Curtis Martin and made his first career sack on Patriots' quarterback Drew Bledsoe for a six-yard loss in the first quarter.

Thomas was also the first Dolphins player to win the Dolphins Team Leadership Award (voted by his teammates) a record three times (1998-1999, 2005), until Jason Taylor surpassed him with four (2002, 2006-2007, 2009).

From 1998-2006, Thomas led a defensive unit that finished top 10 in total defense in seven consecutive seasons (1998-2004), and in eight out of nine (2006).

In five of those nine seasons (1998, 2000, 2002-2003, 2006), Thomas' defenses finished top five in total scoring defense, including 1st overall in 1998.

He was named a two-time NFL Alumni Linebacker of the Year (1998, 2006), and was also selected to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team.

A seven-time Pro Bowl selection (the most ever by a Dolphins defensive player), and seven-time first (5) or second (2) team All-Pro, Thomas recorded more than 1,700 combined tackles (1,100+ solo) in his career which included leading the league in tackles twice (2002, 2006), topping at least 100 combined tackles (he topped 150+ tackles six times) in 10 out of his 12 seasons with the Dolphins, and currently ranks 5th on the NFL's all-time career tackles list.

In 2006, Thomas was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, and would later be enshrined into the Texas Tech Red Raiders Ring of Honor in 2016.

In 2015, Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

In 2012, Thomas was enshrined into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll, and on February 9, 2023, in his 10th year of eligibility and in his 4th straight year being a finalist, Zach Thomas was elected as a member to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

Thomas was born in Pampa, Texas.

He attended White Deer Schools in White Deer, Texas, until he was a sophomore then transferred to Pampa High School in his junior year.

He was a standout high school football player and was named a first-team all-state selection as a senior.

Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Thomas attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, but had a performance that was described as lousy and included a 28.5" vertical jump. Miami Dolphins' special teams coordinator, Mike Westhoff, was sent to Texas by the Dolphins to meet with Thomas and scout him for their special teams unit. Thomas was considered to be too small and not fast or athletic enough to play at the professional level according to scouts and draft experts.

Thomas is also known for his longevity with the Dolphins, and currently is 2nd all time in Dolphins history for most games played by a defensive player in the team's history with 168, behind Taylor's 204.

Thomas was the 18th linebacker drafted in a linebacker class that included Ray Lewis, Tedy Bruschi, Donnie Edwards, and Kevin Hardy.