Frank Thomas

Thomas Notable Sports Figures
Career Statistics
Created A Loud Legacy
Often compared to other great running backs of his
era, such as Emmitt Smith or Barry Sanders, Thomas felt
unappreciated throughout much of his career, and he
wasn’t afraid to make those feelings known. His teammates
knew he was volatile, but respected him nonetheless.
“The thing about Thurman,” Jim Kelly told the Los
Angeles Times, “[is that] you never know what is going
to come out of his mouth.”
Thomas found himself irritated by the things the media
focused on, such as his misplacing his helmet minutes before
the start of Super Bowl XXVI and missing the first
two plays of the game. “God, that stuff hurt,” Thomas told
Sports Illustrated. “To be remembered for losing my helmet
in the Super Bowl? I’ve accomplished too much for
that. People always remember the worst times.”
Known as much for his mouth as for his abilities on
the field, Thomas often spouted off in front of the press,
however, giving them “the worst” to focus on. Combine
that with a team that just couldn’t win the Super Bowl,
and in spite of his superior play, Thomas seemed destined
to have bad raps placed upon him.
1604
Receiving Rushing Fumbles
Yr Team REC YDS AVG TD ATT YDS AVG TD FUM LST
1988 BUF 18 208 11.6 0 207 881 4.3 2 9 0
1989 BUF 60 669 11.2 6 298 1244 4.2 6 7 0
1990 BUF 49 532 10.9 2 271 1297 4.8 11 6 0
1991 BUF 62 631 10.2 5 288 1407 4.9 7 5 0
1992 BUF 58 626 10.8 3 312 1487 4.8 9 6 0
1993 BUF 48 387 8.1 0 355 1315 3.7 6 6 0
1994 BUF 50 349 7.0 2 287 1093 3.8 7 1 1
1995 BUF 26 220 8.5 2 267 1005 3.8 6 6 1
1996 BUF 26 254 9.8 0 281 1033 3.7 8 1 1
1997 BUF 30 208 6.9 0 154 643 4.2 1 2 2
1998 BUF 26 220 8.5 1 93 381 4.1 2 0 0
1999 BUF 3 37 12.3 1 36 152 4.2 0 0 0
2000 MIA 16 117 7.3 1 28 136 4.9 0 1 1
TOTAL 472 4458 9.4 23 2877 12074 4.2 65 50 6
BUF: Buffalo Bills; MIA: Miami Dolphins.
Where Is He Now?
Thurman Thomas and his wife Patti have two daughters, Olivia and
Angelica. When he retired from professional football in 2000, Thurman
Thomas began devoting much of his time to his business, Thurman
Thomas Enterprises. Based in Niagara Falls, New York (just a short drive
from Buffalo), Thomas remains close to the world of professional athletics.
His company’s mission is to provide guidance and training—in the form of
seminars—to athletes and coaches of all levels, focusing on professional,
semiprofessional and college athletes in “precarious or personally challenging
situations.” The company helps them make “well-informed choices”
and their seminars are “designed to prevent adverse events that could lead
to legal violations, negative press, and potential litigation.”
Despite the bad raps and the Super Bowl disappointments,
Thurman Thomas is recognized as one of the
greatest players of all time.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: tthomas@thurmanthomasenterprises.com.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Books
Newsmakers 1993. Issue 4. Detroit: Gale Group, 1993.
Sports Stars. Series 1-4. U•X•L, 1994-98.
Periodicals
Buffalo News (November 30, 2000).
Buffalo News February 28, 2001).
Buffalo News (November 5, 2002).
Los Angeles Times (January 18, 1991).
Los Angeles Times (October 4, 1992).
“Mistaken Identity.” Sports Illustrated (February 1,
1993): 18.
Palm Beach Post (August 10, 2000): 1C.
San Francisco Chronicle (February 28, 2001): B8.
Seattle Times (October 5, 2000): D4.
Sporting News (October 5, 1992): 29-30.
Other
“Thurman Thomas Enterprises.” Business Web site.
http://www.thurmanthomasenterprises.com/
aboutus.html (January 2, 2003)
“Thurman Thomas Web site.” Official Web site.
http://www.thurmanthomas34.com (January 2, 2003)
Sketch by Eric Lagergren