Stan Thomas (born October 28, 1968) is an American former professional

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player who was an

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in the

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(NFL) for four seasons for the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

and

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

from 1991 to 1994, and prior to that played four years of college football at the

University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas, United States. Founded in 1883, it is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. With 53,082 students as of fall 2 ...

College career

He was a 3-year starter as tackle, including his freshman year, when the Longhorns won the last Bluebonnet Bowl game ever in 1987, but did not play his sophomore year. In his senior year at Texas, he was 1st-team All Southwest Conference and a 2nd Team All-American on a team that won the Southwest Conference Championship and played for the National Championship in the Cotton Bowl. He took heat for predicting a win and calling Miami arrogant, especially after Texas was beaten soundly. In 1990 he was named a UPI All-American Team Honorable Mention.

Professional career

He was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 1991

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. During the preseason before his rookie year he suffered both knee and shoulder injuries, but he was an opening day starter anyway due to a season-ending injury to Jim Covert, though he was benched later in the season with a foot injury. Shortly after his rookie season Thomas was shot in the head in a drive-by shooting in San Diego and required surgery to remove bullet fragments from his skull. He recovered enough to return to the Bears for the 1992 season, but the injury and the event caused a loss of confidence that sent him into drinking, partying and careless spending. Going into the 1993 season, Thomas was arrested for drunk driving and then traded to the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

for a conditional middle-round draft choice after refusing to report for camp and demanding a trade. He was waived by the Falcons a week later after he refused to restructure his contract. He was then signed by the Oilers as a backup. During that time he was carjacked at gunpoint, his parents were sentenced to prison for tax fraud and he had to pay the IRS $300,000 to settle his own tax issues. Prior to the 1995 season, he suffered a hamstring injury and then was involved in a fight with rookie center Hicham El-Mashtoub that left him with stitches and got him kicked off the team, ending his career. He is considered to be one of the worst draft picks by the Chicago Bears.

Personal life

In 2004, he was arrested and charged with rape and sodomy in San Diego County, but the DA decided not to file charges. He is the older brother of All-American and 1st round NFL pick Robert Thomas

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Stan 1968 births Living people Players of American football from Imperial County, California American football offensive tackles Chicago Bears players Houston Oilers players Texas Longhorns football players