Derrick Thomas Third and Long Foundation. The foundation's mission is to "sack illiteracy" and change the lives of 9- to 13-year-old urban children facing challenging and life-threatening situations in the Kansas City area. The Derrick Thomas Academy, a charter school in Kansas City, Missouri, opened in September 2001. It served nearly 1,000 children from kindergarten through eighth grade until it closed in 2013. Sources External links Derrick Thomas on Find A Grave 1967 births 2000 deaths Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-American college football players American Conference Pro Bowl players American football defensive ends American football outside linebackers College Football Hall of Fame inductees Deaths from pulmonary embolism Kansas City Chiefs players National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners National Football League players with retired numbers Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees South Miami Senior High School alumni Players of American football from Miami 100 Sacks Club