Highlights
Zachary Michael Thomas, born Sept. 1, 1973, in Pampa, Texas, is a National Football League linebacker who played for the Miami Dolphins until he was released in February 2008. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times, the most of any defensive player in Miami Dolphin history. Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson drafted the young Zach Thomas in the fifth round of the NFL draft, 154th overall. He has been a starter from Day 1, and before the 2007 season had only missed 13 games in 11 seasons. Through Nov. 29, 2007, he had accumulated 1,866 tackles, including 1,244 solo, 17.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and seven recovered fumbles. Thomas has 52 tackles and a sack in five games for the 2007...
Zachary Michael Thomas, born Sept. 1, 1973, in Pampa, Texas, is a National Football League linebacker who played for the Miami Dolphins until he was released in February 2008. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl seven times, the most of any defensive player in Miami Dolphin history. Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson drafted the young Zach Thomas in the fifth round of the NFL draft, 154th overall. He has been a starter from Day 1, and before the 2007 season had only missed 13 games in 11 seasons. Through Nov. 29, 2007, he had accumulated 1,866 tackles, including 1,244 solo, 17.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles and seven recovered fumbles. Thomas has 52 tackles and a sack in five games for the 2007 football season. He suffered a concussion in the fall of 2007 and has missed several games due to concussion-related symptoms. Thomas has 17 career interceptions, first all-time among Miami Dolphin linebackers. His four interception returns for touchdowns ranks first in team history. He has led the team in tackles in 10 of the last 11 seasons, more than twice as many years as any other Dolphins defensive player. Thomas, a Dolphins defensive captain, has been awarded the Don Shula Leadership Award a team-record three times. Zach Thomas has been selected first team All-Pro seven times by the Associated Press. He was the AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1996 when he had 180 tackles and three interceptions. Thomas' career high in tackles is 22, done twice, once against the Baltimore Ravens in 2002 and again versus the Indianapolis Colts in 2003. Thomas contemplated retirement early in his career after sustaining a series of small concussions. But he changed helmets and bought a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help him ward off future concussions. However, he sustained a concussion on the opening series against the Dallas Cowboys in Game 2 of the 2007 season. Thomas sat out the next two games, and then after the Game 7 loss against the New England Patriots on Oct. 1 was involved in a minor car accident on the Florida Turnpike. Thomas dealt with migraines and "light-headedness" after the accident. Thomas, who is aware of all the recent medical studies linking former NFL players who've had multiple concussions to a variety of medical ailments such as Alzheimer's, dementia and depression, said that he will rest up in the offseason and give it one more shot next season. Thomas played linebacker and running back at Pampa High School in Texas where he was named first team All-State as a senior. The defensive star actually gained 928 yards with eight touchdowns while averaging 5.7 yards-per-carry. The Pride of Pampa also lettered in baseball. At Texas Tech University, Zachary Thomas was a three-year starter and consensus All-America and All-Southwest Conference first-team choice as a senior. He was a finalist for the prestigious Butkus Award, named for the former Bears Hall of Fame linebacker, and was both the SWAC and Football News Defensive Player of the Year as a senior when he amassed 131 tackles, 13 for losses, three sacks, two intereceptions, six forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. In all, he tallied 390 tackles, including a school-record 20 tackles against the University of Missouri as a senior. During a 1995 game against rival Texas A&M, Thomas recoverd a fumble and picked off a pass with 30 seconds left for a 23-yard, game-winning touchdown in a 14-7 win. Zach Thomas was inducted into the Red Raiders Hall of Fame in 2006. Thomas' stellar football career was almost over before it started. Before his third birthday he was run over by a construction truck, suffering multiple injuries. Thomas ended up with a broken arm, and damage to his head, ear, eye, and one side of his face. He overcame that, a learning disorder and a bias towards his size to star at every level. Along for the ride was older brother Bart Thomas, who toughened up Thomas with their backyard brawls and ball playing. The Thomas boys became the first pair of brothers to be named first-team All Southwest Conference in the same year when Bart was in his senior season at Texas Tech and Zach was a freshman. Thomas is a tireless worker despite coming from a wealthy background. His millionaire father, Steve Thomas, constructed what is believed to be the largest cross in the Northern Hemisphere. The 19-story tall cross is located between Interstate 40 and old Route 66 west of Groom, Texas, and was built in 1995. Thomas married Maritza, and the couple lives in Plantation, Florida. Thomas' sister Katina is married to Dolphins teammate Jason Taylor, the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas is the proud uncle to their three children. Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor have played together for 11 seasons, making a combined 12 Pro Bowls. When Thomas isn't playing football, he can usually be found around a poker table somewhere playing Texas Hold 'Em, playing hoops against his much taller brother-in-law or underwater in his scuba gear. Thomas and brother Bart own a health and fitness club in Amarillo, Texas, called Zach's Club 54. Thomas, a huge fan favorite, generously donates his time and money to a myriad of charitable organizations, including Habitat For Humanity, United Way, Miami Project, and has gone to Germany to visit American soldiers. Thomas is a media favorite for his honesty and raw emotional responses following difficult losses.
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Brothers-in-law won't face off yet
Texas native Zach Thomas has a family divided by the Cowboys- Redskins rivalry before even playing in it. Still, the first taste of the matchup won't be quite as bitter as it could have been for Thomas, Dallas' leading tackler. Sunday's game was...Tags: Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Greg Ellis, Football, Washington Redskins
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Dolphins Visit Patriots Today In AFC East Game
Associated PressTom Brady is gone. So is Jason Taylor for Miami. The Patriots and Dolphins who face each other today look different from how they did last year, with one major similarity — New England keeps winning and Miami keeps losing. "You have a job to do,...Tags: Tom Brady, Asante Samuel, National Football League, Chad Pennington, Jason Taylor
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Fantasy football: Week 1, don't sleep on sleepers
adam.ronis@newsday.comIt's the first week of the season, so don't overanalyze matchups. Play your best players regardless of the opponent. Here are some less-heralded players that should put up good numbers and make good plays if you have a player injured or suspended. Kurt...Tags: National Football League, Calvin Johnson, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Reggie Brown
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Somehow, Ricky still has Dolphins' number
When last on the edge of an opening day, Ricky Williams dressed only in white for purity, hadn't shaved for a year as a lesson in vanity and wanted to wear No. 27 because it was a multiple of nine. His studies in numerology showed nine was the perfect...Tags: Chad Pennington, National Football League, Jason Taylor, Earl Campbell, Miami Dolphins
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Stopping Favre Miami's motivation
Associated PressThe messages are spread in black paint across the Miami Dolphins' locker-room walls. "The fastest way to lose is division from within," reads one wall. "Miami Dolphins players have the makeup!" exclaims another slogan. The new regime has tried all...Tags: Chad Pennington, National Football League, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Cam Cameron
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Optimism high for Dolphins' turnaround
There's a line Bill Parcells said once, a good line that applies to this Dolphins season. Parcells used it a few years ago when everyone in Dallas saw some daylight and predicted sunny skies forever for young quarterback Tony Romo. "Let's not anoint him,...Tags: Chad Pennington, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Cam Cameron, Dwyane Wade
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AFC East capsules
1. New England Patriots 2007 record: 16-0 Coach: Bill Belichick State of the Union: The two lasting sights from 2008 are Belechick running off the field before the end of the Super Bowl (and not shaking winning coach Tom Coughlin's hand) and him...Tags: Asante Samuel, Chad Pennington, National Football League, Randy Moss, Jason Taylor
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Going radical: Status quo isn't part of team's transition plan
SENTINEL STAFF WRITERThere's only one way for the Miami Dolphins to go. At least, that's the way they're approaching 2008. Many of the painful reminders of 2007 — a 1-15 season, the worst in franchise history — are gone. Exit General Manager Randy Mueller. Enter...Tags: National Football League, Chad Pennington, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Vonnie Holliday
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Ex-Dolphin Zach Thomas says head issues behind him
WIRE REPORTSZach Thomas understands the perception some people have after his abbreviated final season with the Dolphins, though he doesn't agree with it. "They labeled me with that, as prone for concussions," he said. "Everybody just thinks I'm some guy out here...Tags: National Football League, Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, Eli Manning, New York Giants
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Are you ready for some football?
Tribune staff reporterYes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other...Tags: Veterans Affairs, Minority Groups, Jason Taylor, Brian Billick, Donovan McNabb
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Jason Taylor deserves a proper farewell
His grandfather sat at a Smith-Corona typewriter each New Year's Day and pecked out annual goals that he'd then read to the family. Jason Taylor inherited that idea. He arrived as a no-name Dolphins rookie in 1997 and wrote three goals on an index card...Tags: Dancing, National Football League, Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Television
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Realism tinges 1st-day optimism at Dolphins' training camp
Go ahead. Call him a dreamer, an optimist, a silly romantic, an incurable Pollyanna. It was the time to be all that Saturday morning, maybe the only time for it this season.
Day One. Year One.
"We're gonna get it turned around," new team owner Stephen...Tags: Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins, Vonnie Holliday, Cam Cameron, Dan Marino
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