Clendon Thomas

Clendon Thomas
No. 46, 35, 28
Thomas with the Rams in 1959
Date of birth (1935-12-28) December 28, 1935 (age 88)
Place of birthOklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.
Career information
Position(s)Flanker
Defensive back
Height6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight196 lb (89 kg)
US collegeOklahoma
NFL draft1958 / round: 2 / pick: 19
Drafted byLos Angeles Rams
Career history
As player
1958–1961Los Angeles Rams
1962–1968Pittsburgh Steelers
Career highlights and awards
Career stats
Games played137
Starts101
Receiving yards1,046 (17.4 average)
Interceptions27
Fumble recoveries10
Touchdowns5

Clendon Thomas (born December 28, 1935) is an American former professional football player who was a halfback and defensive back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

In college, he was a star athlete for the Oklahoma Sooners under coach Bud Wilkinson. He led the Sooners in scoring during both the 1956 and 1957 seasons, while also leading the nation in the category during the 1956 season.[1] He helped lead the Sooners to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956.[2] He was an All-Conference selection his junior and senior years[3] and was a consensus All-American his senior year.[1] He also finished in ninth place in the Heisman Trophy balloting that season (the award was won by John David Crow that year).[4]

In the 1958 NFL draft, Thomas was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round. He played for the Rams for four seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played for another seven years and finished his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1963 NFL season.

Thomas was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.[5]

After retiring from football, Thomas had various business ventures. In 1978, he founded Chemical Products Corporation in Oklahoma City. The company manufactured water repellents treatments for concrete and similar surfaces. It was a pioneer in the use of siloxane-based chemistry.

  1. ^ a b "All-American: Clendon Thomas". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletic Department. Archived from the original on July 18, 2007. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  2. ^ "Clendon Thomas". College Football Hall of Fame. Football Foundation. Retrieved March 22, 2007.
  3. ^ "All-Conference Players". SoonerSports.com. University of Oklahoma Athletic Department. Archived from the original on May 23, 2010. Retrieved August 22, 2007.
  4. ^ "1957 - 23rd Award". Heisman.com. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
  5. ^ "NFF Announces 2011 Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Hall of Fame Class". College Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 18, 2011.