Derrick Thomas: Gone But Not Forgotten

by Chiefs

Derrion Thomas and Carl Peterson unveil bust of Derrick Thomas at the 2009 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement. Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

12 years ago today, one of the greatest Chiefs of all time, Hall of Famer Derrick Thomas, passed away.
Gone way too soon at the age of 33, Thomas passed away just a couple of weeks after a serious auto accident. While being transferred from his hospital bed to a wheelchair for a therapy session, Thomas suffered a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that traveled from his legs to his lungs.

Rest in peace DT. We miss you.

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I remember thinking the year after his passing, the Chiefs did poorly and I thought it appropriate: just how much DT meant to the team. As for the 7 sack game, I sincerely felt sorry for Krieg in that game. What a beast!

Loved DT so much when I was younger that I named my dog after him. Kind of a weird tribute but I was 10. Sundays are not the same without him. :(

@ArrowheadAddict the game he had 7 sacks is my first memory of him, and the chiefs in general, what a game he had.

@dbaty7 @ArrowheadAddict Ahh.... but the one he missed...

Anyone remember Tecmo Super Bowl for NES. DT was just like real life unstoppable.

@ArrowheadAddict With the 'Throw Happy" offenses and "Get the Ball Out" quickness of todays QB's. I do not think anyone will ever get close

@Tier1Spartan Good point but with the extra passes there could be more chances. I see it being tied maybe but it a hard record to break.

@ArrowheadAddict Yeah more chances, but I think QB's know how much more a sack affects the game and throw the ball away much quicker

@ArrowheadAddict Im not saying its impossible just improbable given current state of the NFL.

@ArrowheadAddict Although I truly hope no one ever breaks that particular record. DT was an amazing person and player. #ForDT #58

@ArrowheadAddict But you have a great point .. . the tallent pool is higher now then ever prolly. So you never know what could happen.

@adamcbest DT was amazing.

@ArrowheadAddict Records always get broken, but offensive lines are generally better now than they were then.

@ArrowheadAddict I also loved his "meltdown" against Shannon Sharp. #TwistThatFacemask

@taylonr Sharpe had it coming!

@ArrowheadAddict the time he sacked I believe elway in end zone and recovered for td!

@riesejr DT sacked Elway 26 times! There should be a highlight video of every one of them.

@ArrowheadAddict 1998 Sunday Night Football against OAK on opening weekend... DT gets a safety .

@taylonr Was there anything more awesome than watching DT get a sack? Tamba is great but DT was poetry.

@ArrowheadAddict I was at the game that night, other end of the field. I don't remember much from that game, but I remember that.

My favorite DT memories are every time he sacked Elway. All 26 times!

@Arowhead_Addict Some of my favorite memories of Derrick actually had to do with the other team... after each sack, the look on a QBs face and the frustrated conversations between QBs and LTs on their way back to the huddle. I loved the look on their faces like... they knew there was absolutely nothing they could do.

@laddiemorse He really was unstoppable. I don't know that I've ever seen another player get off the ball so fast. He was out of there like a cannon. God I miss the days of DT and Niel Smith. It was ridiculous. How that team never won a Super Bowl is beyond me.

@Arowhead_Addict I would like this comment 26 times if I could.

sidibeke 259 pts

I remember thinking the year after his passing, the Chiefs did poorly and I thought it appropriate: just how much DT meant to the team.

As for the 7 sack game, I sincerely felt sorry for Krieg in that game. What a beast!

Chiefsfan7 93 pts

Loved DT so much when I was younger that I named my dog after him. Kind of a weird tribute but I was 10. Sundays are not the same without him. :(

ArrowFan 205 pts

Anyone remember Tecmo Super Bowl for NES. DT was just like real life unstoppable.

Arowhead_Addict 491 pts

My favorite DT memories are every time he sacked Elway. All 26 times!

laddiemorse 205 pts

Arowhead_Addict Some of my favorite memories of Derrick actually had to do with the other team... after each sack, the look on a QBs face and the frustrated conversations between QBs and LTs on their way back to the huddle. I loved the look on their faces like... they knew there was absolutely nothing they could do.

Arowhead_Addict 491 pts

laddiemorse He really was unstoppable. I don't know that I've ever seen another player get off the ball so fast. He was out of there like a cannon.

God I miss the days of DT and Niel Smith. It was ridiculous. How that team never won a Super Bowl is beyond me.

sidibeke 259 pts

Arowhead_Addict I would like this comment 26 times if I could.

Conversation from Twitter

dbaty7
dbaty7

ArrowheadAddict the game he had 7 sacks is my first memory of him, and the chiefs in general, what a game he had.

don_mccracken
don_mccracken

dbaty7 ArrowheadAddict Ahh.... but the one he missed...

Tier1Spartan
Tier1Spartan

ArrowheadAddict With the 'Throw Happy" offenses and "Get the Ball Out" quickness of todays QB's. I do not think anyone will ever get close

ArrowheadAddict
ArrowheadAddict

Tier1Spartan Good point but with the extra passes there could be more chances. I see it being tied maybe but it a hard record to break.

Tier1Spartan
Tier1Spartan

ArrowheadAddict Yeah more chances, but I think QB's know how much more a sack affects the game and throw the ball away much quicker

Tier1Spartan
Tier1Spartan

ArrowheadAddict Im not saying its impossible just improbable given current state of the NFL.

Tier1Spartan
Tier1Spartan

ArrowheadAddict Although I truly hope no one ever breaks that particular record. DT was an amazing person and player. #ForDT #58

Tier1Spartan
Tier1Spartan

ArrowheadAddict But you have a great point .. . the tallent pool is higher now then ever prolly. So you never know what could happen.

machado
machado

adamcbest DT was amazing.

Yelix
Yelix

ArrowheadAddict Records always get broken, but offensive lines are generally better now than they were then.

taylonr
taylonr

ArrowheadAddict I also loved his "meltdown" against Shannon Sharp. #TwistThatFacemask

ArrowheadAddict
ArrowheadAddict

taylonr Sharpe had it coming!

riesejr
riesejr

ArrowheadAddict the time he sacked I believe elway in end zone and recovered for td!

ArrowheadAddict
ArrowheadAddict

riesejr DT sacked Elway 26 times! There should be a highlight video of every one of them.

taylonr
taylonr

ArrowheadAddict 1998 Sunday Night Football against OAK on opening weekend... DT gets a safety .

ArrowheadAddict
ArrowheadAddict

taylonr Was there anything more awesome than watching DT get a sack? Tamba is great but DT was poetry.

taylonr
taylonr

ArrowheadAddict I was at the game that night, other end of the field. I don't remember much from that game, but I remember that.