Dee Thomas (born November 7, 1967) is a former professional
American football defensive back
In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...
in the
National Football League (NFL) for the
Houston Oilers,
Montreal Machine in the
World League of American Football (WLAF) and the
Canadian Football League (CFL). He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Nicholls State University
Nicholls State University is a public university in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the University of Louisiana System. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicholl ...
and was
drafted in the tenth round of the
1990 NFL Draft
The 1990 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 22–23, 1990, at the Marriott Marq ...
.
Professional career
Thomas played for the
Houston Oilers during the 1990 season. After the season, Thomas was protected in Plan B, but he did not play for Oilers during the 1991 season. In 1992, Thomas played in the
World League of American Football with the
Montreal Machine where he earned a contract with the Washington Redskins at the conclusion of the WLAF's 10 game season. While in Montreal, he was invited to tryout for the Montreal Expos baseball team, but decided to concentrate on football. Thomas suffered from ankle and back injuries during Redskins mini-camp and training camp and was released by the Redskins. In 1993 and 1994, Thomas played in the
Canadian Football League with the
Calgary Stampeders,
Toronto Argonauts and
Sacramento Gold Miners.
He retired from professional football in 1994.
College career
Thomas was undersized at 120 lbs and from a small high school, so he was not offered a college scholarship. Head football coach at
Nicholls State,
Sonny Jackson, allowed Thomas to walk-on (non-scholarship) to the football team in 1985. He went on to start at cornerback and free safety in every college game in which he appeared. During his college career, he amassed 185 total tackles (103 solo tackles with 82 assisted tackles) and 12 interceptions which was 3rd all-time in Nicholls State history. Thomas still holds the record for most yardage on interception returns at the school. During his junior season, he led the team with 7 interceptions with two picks returned for touchdowns. In his senior year, he won numerous pre- and post-season awards.
High school career
Thomas was a standout high school athlete at
Central Catholic High School in
Morgan City, Louisiana
Morgan City is a small city in St. Mary and lower St. Martin parishes in the U.S. State of Louisiana. The population was 12,404 at the 2010 census. Known for being “right in the middle of everywhere”, Morgan City is located 68 miles (109&nb ...
where he earned All State honors in four sports.
References
External links
Nicholls State bioNFL bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Dee
1967 births
Houston Oilers players
Montreal Machine players
Players of American football from Louisiana
Nicholls Colonels football players
Living people