James "J. T." Thomas Jr. (born April 22, 1951) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

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 The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected in the first round by the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

with the 24th overall pick of the

1973 NFL draft The 1973 NFL draft was held January 30–31, 1973, at the Americana Hotel in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Houston Oilers selected defensive end John Matuszak. Player selections Round one ...

. He was the first African-American football player to play football and graduate from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU or Florida State) is a Public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preeminent university in the s ...

. Thomas played for the Steelers between 1973 and 1981, and was a member of the legendary dynasty

Steel Curtain The Steel Curtain was the nickname, first for the defensive line, but soon for the entire defensive unit of the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers football team of the National Football League (NFL). The line was the backbone of the Steelers dynasty, whi ...

defense that won four

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

s in the 70s. Thomas played for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in 1982.

Biography

Thomas attended Lanier High School in Macon. After playing at Florida State, Thomas was the Steelers' first-round selection (24th overall) in the 1973 NFL draft. That year, Thomas played in all 14 regular-season games and in the Steelers' only playoff game. He recorded one interception that season. In 1974 and 1975, the Steelers won back-to-back Super Bowls. In 1974, Thomas picked up a career-best five interceptions and he scored a touchdown on a fumble recovery. Thomas was named to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (since 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's All-star, star players. The format has changed ...

after a 1976 season in which he collected two interceptions and a fumble recovery. In 1978, he sat out the season due to an inflammatory disease in the lungs and lymph nodes known as

sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis (; also known as Besnier–Boeck–Schaumann disease) is a disease involving abnormal collections of White blood cell, inflammatory cells that form lumps known as granulomata. The disease usually begins in the lungs, skin, or lymph n ...

. During his time in Pittsburgh, Thomas played alongside cornerback

Mel Blount Melvin Cornell Blount (born April 10, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL) for fourteen seasons. A five-time Pro Bowler, he was inducted i ...

. NFL.com named Thomas and Blount the sixth-best cornerback combination of all time. During the 1982 preseason, Thomas was traded to the Denver Broncos for an initially undisclosed draft slot. Thomas has lived in

Monroeville, Pennsylvania Monroeville is a Home rule municipality (Pennsylvania), home rule municipality in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a suburb with mixed residential and commercial developments located about east of Pittsburgh. As of the 202 ...

, since the 1970s. Partnering with former Steeler Larry Brown in the late 1980s, they developed the

Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, ...

chain restaurants in western and central Pennsylvania and Morgantown, West Virginia markets. In 2009, he opened a Southern restaurant known as Red, Hot & Blue in

Homestead, Pennsylvania Homestead is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River southeast of downtown Pittsburgh. The borough is known for the Homestead strike of 1892, an important event in the history of labor relation ...

References

External links

Florida State Seminoles bioJ.T. Thomas not down & out
Rich Emert,

The Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, United States, serving suburban Beaver County northwest of Pittsburgh. It is the sole newspaper covering Beaver County. The ''Times'' has previously produc ...

, September 10, 1978 {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, J. T. 1951 births Living people Players of American football from Macon, Georgia American football cornerbacks American football safeties Florida State Seminoles football players Pittsburgh Steelers players Denver Broncos players American Conference Pro Bowl players