Class of 2023, and is set to be formally enshrined on August 5th. Early years 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 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. College career Thomas attended Texas Tech University, where he was a three-year starter at linebacker for the Texas Tech Red Raider football team. As a junior in 1994, he was a first-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 was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015. College awards and honors Second-team Houston Chronicle All-SWC (1993) Second-team Houston Post All-SWC (1993) First-team UPI All-American (1994) Second-team Football News All-American (1994) Second-team Sporting News All-American (1994) 2× SWC Defensive Player of the Year (1994, 1995) Unanimous first-team All-American (1995) First-team All-SWC (1995) College Football Hall of Fame Texas Tech Hall Of Fame Professional career 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. Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins selected Thomas in the fifth round (154th overall) of the 1996 NFL Draft. Thomas was the 18th linebacker drafted in a linebacker class that included Ray Lewis,