On this date five years ago, Thurman Thomas was added to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame. This is going to sound a little encyclopedic, but I don't have the vocabulary to explain how great No. 34 was during his tenure with the Bills.
Thomas was Buffalo's second-round pick in 1988, but he was their first selection of the day, having given their first-round pick as part of the deal for Cornelius Bennett in 1987. Thomas slid to the second round after a knee injury, and the Bills were happy to have him.
Thomas is the team's all-time leader in rushing yards, rushing attempts, rushing touchdowns, and games played by a running back. He is sixth in rushing yards per game.
Thurman wasn't only a running back, but was a dangerous receiving weapon out of the backfield as well. He is third on the team's receptions list, sixth in receiving yards, and tenth in receiving touchdowns, leading all running backs in those categories.
On scoring, few can match Thurman Thomas in Bills history. He is fourth in team annals in points scored and no other position player has scored more points than the 522 he and Andre Reed scored in a Bills uniform. The two are tied for the distinction of scoring the most touchdowns (87) in Bills history.
He led the Bills in rushing from his rookie season in 1988 until 1996, a string of nine straight years. In 1990, 1991, and 1993 he led the entire AFC in rushing. He was voted to the All-Pro team in 1990 and 1991, was selected to five straight Pro Bowls from 1989 through 1993, and was named NFL's Most Valuable Player in 1991 after becoming the eleventh player in NFL history to finish a season with over 2,000 all-purpose yards.
Thomas is the only player in NFL history to lead the league in yards from scrimmage in four consecutive years. He is one of six players all-time who have over 400 receptions and 10,000 yards rushing, and one of only five running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons. He is the only player to ever score a touchdown in four consecutive Super Bowls.
Thomas is a member of the Bills 50th Anniversary team, the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the NFL's '90s All-Decade Team, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Yeah. He was pretty good.