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Zach Thomas
| Biography |
2004: Started all 13 games in which he played ... Was inactive for three contests and missed most of a fourth with a hamstring injury ... Led the team with 168 tackles, the eighth time in his nine NFL seasons that he topped the team’s tackle chart ... Marked the ninth consecutive season in which he reached the 100-tackle plateau ... Added two sacks on the year ... Turned in double-digit tackle performances on 12 occasions ... The only contest in which played that he did not was at San Francisco (11/28) when he left the game permanently in the first quarter with a hamstring injury.
2003: Named to fifth consecutive Pro Bowl ... For the season led the Dolphins with 184 tackles and had three interceptions and ten passes defensed ... His 183 tackles is the third highest single season tackle total in Dolphin history ... Led the team in tackles 12 games and finished second twice ... Had 12 games of double figure tackles ... Started 15 games and was inactive once, on November 9th at Tennessee due to a groin injury sustained a week earlier vs. Indianapolis ... Started all four preseason games ... In his career, has 15 interceptions, breaking team record for most interceptions among LBs, which was previously held by Earnie Rhone (14).
2002: Signed a five-year contract extension through 2008 season on March 28, 2003 ... Started all 16 games at middle linebacker ... Along with CB Sam Madison and DE Jason Taylor, was chosen as a tri-captain on defense ... Led the team in tackles for the sixth time in his seven seasons ... Set a new career-high for tackles as he posted 195 total stops (124 solo), surpassing his previous best of 180, achieved in both 1996 and 2001 ... It also marked the second-highest single-season total in franchise history, trailing only the 217 tackles that Steve Towle accumulated in 1976 ... Represented the seventh time in his seven NFL seasons that he reached the 100-tackle plateau ... Recorded double-digit tackle figures in a game 13 times during the course of the season, including a string of 11 in a row (4-14) ... On the year, added a half-sack, an interception, a fumble recovery and five passes defensed ... Led the team in tackles on 13 occasions.
2001: Started all 15 games in which he played at middle linebacker ... Tied a career-high (since surpassed) that he first set in his rookie season of 1996 with 180 total tackles (112 solo) ... Added three sacks for 27 yards lost, two interceptions for 51 yards and a touchdown, two forced fumbles and six passes defensed ... Topped the team’s tackle chart on 12 occasions during the course of the year ... Along with CB Sam Madison, was chosen as a co-captain on defense in a vote of his teammates ... In opener at Tennessee (9/9), led team with 12 tackles while also picking off a Neil O’Donnell pass and returning it 34 yards for a touchdown, the tenth interception of his career and his fourth for a touchdown, breaking the club’s career mark which he had shared with Dick Anderson ... For his performance, was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
2000: Started all 11 games in which he played at middle linebacker ... Was inactive for five games with a sprained right ankle ... Despite missing five full games with the injury, finished second on the team with 100 total tackles (64 solo) ... Added 1.5 sacks, an interception, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery ... Led the team in tackles on six occasions and reached double-digit tackle totals four times during the course of the year ... Was selected by Raiders Coach Jon Gruden as the "need" player for the AFC Pro Bowl squad.
1999: Signed a new five-year contract through the 2003 season on February 12, 1999 ... Started all 16 regular season games at middle linebacker for the second straight year and third time in his four NFL seasons ... Led the team in tackles for the fourth consecutive campaign, as he tallied 167 total stops (117 solo), a figure which was the second-most of his NFL career to that point, now fourth ... It also ranked as the fifth-highest in Dolphins history, now seventh ... Was selected to the first Pro Bowl of his career, and started in the game ... Thomas became the third Dolphin in team history to lead the club in tackles four or more straight seasons, joining Nick Buoniconti (1969-73) and Bryan Cox (1992-95) ... In a vote of his teammates, was selected as a permanent co-captain on defense along with cornerback Sam Madison ... Also had one sack, an interception, a forced fumble and a career-high 12 passes defensed ... Led the team in tackles 13 times during the course of the season and recorded double-digit tackle totals nine times.
1998: Started all 16 regular season games at middle linebacker ... Finished the year with 160 total tackles (124 solo), two sacks for 16 yards lost, three interceptions for 21 yards in returns, including two for touchdowns, two forced fumbles and ten passes defensed ... Marked the third straight year in which he led the team in tackles, just the fourth Dolphin to achieve that feat and the first since Bryan Cox did it from 1992-95 ... Tackle total was the seventh-highest single-season mark in club history (now tenth) ... Led the Dolphins’ tackle chart on ten occasions over the course of the season, including nine games with double-digit tackle marks ... Was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September when he totaled 37 tackles, a sack, an interception return for a touchdown and two passes defensed, in helping Miami to a 3-0 record during the month.
1997: Started all 15 games in which he played at middle linebacker ... Was inactive for the season-opener vs. Indianapolis (8/31) while still recovering from a fractured left fibula sustained in a preseason game against Denver in Mexico City (8/4) ... Still led the team in tackles for the second straight year, with 149 total stops (107 solo), marking the second consecutive season in which he topped the 100-tackle plateau ... Also came up with a half-sack, an interception and ten passes defensed, which were second-most on the squad and first among linebackers ... Added one stop on special teams ... Led the team in tackles on eight occasions, and finished with double-digit tackle totals nine times.
1996: Started all 16 games at middle linebacker as a rookie ... Finished as team’s leading tackler with 180 tackles (131 solo), while adding two sacks, three interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and five passes defensed ... Also recorded two special teams tackles and had one kickoff return for 17 yards ... His three interceptions tied with eight others for second-most by a Dolphins linebacker in club history, surpassed only by John Bramlett, who had four interceptions in 1967 ... It marked the most interceptions by a Dolphins linebacker since Earnie Rhone had three in 1981, and also is the most ever by a Dolphins rookie linebacker ... Made NFL debut in start at middle linebacker against New England (9/1) and led the team with 13 tackles, including one sack.
College Career
Four-year letterman (1992-95) and three-year starter at Texas Tech... Consensus All-America and All-Southwest Conference first team choice as a senior... Finalist for Butkus Award (nation's top linebacker) and Football News' Defensive Player of the Year Award... Added SWC Defensive Player of the Year honors... Led team with 131 tackles (84 solos) and added three sacks, 13 stops for losses, seven pass deflections, two interceptions, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three passes defensed and one interception returned for a touchdown... Had school record 20 tackles and a sack against Missouri to earn SWC co-Defensive Player of the Week honors... Posted 13 tackles, recovered a fumble and picked off a pass with 30 seconds left, returning the ball 23 yards for the game-winning touchdown, in a 14-7 win over Texas A&M... Named first-team All-America by United Press International and second-team honors from The Sporting News and Football News as a junior... Also named unanimous All-SWC Defensive Player of the Year... Led the SWC with 116 tackles (65 solos), 3.5 sacks, nine stops for losses of 18 yards, four interceptions and four pass breakups... Named All-SWC second-team pick by the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post as a sophomore... Started every game... Ranked fourth in conference with 117 tackles (64 solos) and added one sack, four tackles for loss, three passes defensed, one interception, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble... Had first career interception along with 13 tackles, two sacks and set an all-time bowl record with seven stops behind the line of scrimmage against Oklahoma in the John Hancock Bowl... Played in every game as a reserve inside linebacker as a freshman... Recorded 26 tackles (13 solos)... Majored in exercise and sports sciences.
Personal Bio
Resides in Plantation, Fla ... Attended Pampa (Texas) High School ... Played linebacker and running back ... Named first-team all-state as a senior ... Recorded 158 tackles (59 solos) with six sacks, three fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles and eight deflected passes ... Rushed for 928 yards and eight touchdowns on 164 carries (5.7 avg) ... Also lettered in baseball ... Enjoys scuba diving and playing basketball in spare time ... Lists “Braveheart” and “Scarface” as favorite movies and “The Sopranos,” “The First 48” and “The World Poker Tour” as favorite television shows ... Served as Dolphins representative for the United Way public service announcement in 1997 ... Has assisted in building houses for Habitat for Humanity ... From 2000-03 was a member of the “Crunch on Paralysis” team, along with Trace Armstrong and Jason Taylor, that made a donation for every sack and tackle they made to the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis ... Combined, the three donated nearly $52,000 to the Miami Project in 2000, while Taylor and Thomas’ contribution totaled more than $39,000 in 2001, more than $46,000 in 2002 and $39,000 in 2003, with Smirnoff doubling that amount ... For their efforts, the group was named the winner of the team’s Community Service Award for 2000 ... In 2000, opened a health and fitness club in Amarillo, Texas, called “Zach’s Club 54,” which has since expanded to a new location ... The club is run by his brother, and former Texas Tech teammate, Bart ... During the 2001 offseason, was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame ... In May of 2003, along with teammate Jason Taylor, was part of a USO/NFL Tour in which he visited various military bases and hospitals in Germany ... Full name is Zachary Michael Thomas, born September 1, 1973, in Pampa, Texas.
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