Three Texas Tech Legends Deserving Of Pro Football Hall Of Fame

Zach Thomas

The most accomplished defensive player Texas Tech has ever produced, Zach Thomas, was one of the game’s best linebackers for 13 seasons.  Yet he is not in the Hall of Fame despite having numbers almost exactly the same as one of this year’s inductees.

Comparing the careers of Thomas and 2018 inductee Brian Urlacher proves that the former Red Raider is worthy of a spot in Canton.  Both players had 13-year careers with Urlacher making it to eight Pro Bowls and Thomas seven.

Meanwhile, Thomas has a five to four lead in First-Team All-Pro selections which almost always carry more weight with the selection committee than Pro Bowl nods.  What’s more, Thomas had far more tackles during his career than Urlacher.  In 184 career games, Thomas amassed 1,720 career tackles while Urlacher recorded 1,353 while playing in 182 games.

So why was Urlacher a sure-fire inductee while Thomas has not yet come close to enshrinement?  First of all, there is the optics of each player.  At 6-foot-4, 258-pounds, Urlacher was more of an imposing presence than the 5-foot-11, 242-pound Thomas.  Urlacher created awe in the minds of fans because of his speed and size which allowed him to deliver devastating hits.

Meanwhile, Thomas relied on instincts and quickness to make tackles from sideline to sideline.  Thomas never had crushing hits destined to be replayed on NFL Films highlight reels.  Instead, he was one of the most certain tacklers in the game, a skill that is under-appreciated by the modern football observer.

Also, Urlacher played middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears, a position made famous by his predecessors Dick Butkus and Mike Singletary.  Playing middle linebacker for the Bears is like being the shortstop for the New York Yankees, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers or QB for the Dallas Cowboys in that it carries with it a certain cache that is unique to that franchise.

Meanwhile, Thomas was the focal point of the defense for a franchise in Miami that has been synonymous with offense and he was not romanticized by the media because he had the wrong logo on his helmet.

Also, Urlacher helped lead his team to Super Bowl XLI.  Urlacher and his defense carried the Bears to the Super Bowl despite an inept offense helping elevate his status in the eyes of most observers. Thomas never reached a Super Bowl but neither her nor Urlacher won a title and after all, the Hall of Fame is littered with players who never earned a ring so that should not factor into Thomas’ candidacy.

Of the 29 linebackers in Canton, only one, 2018 inductee Ray Lewis, has more career tackles than Zach Thomas.  Perhaps Thomas’ long-time teammate and Hall of Fame inductee Jason Taylor, had the best perspective on Thomas.

“There’s a handful of guys that I played with that are elite status as far as players, people, competitors, teammates, and Zach Thomas is No. 1 on that list,” Taylor told the Palm Beach Post in 2017. “He made everybody that played with him better. He’s one of those guys that never got the respect he deserved, never got the attention he deserves. To me, is he a Hall of Famer? Absolutely. Without Zach, there’s no way in the world I’m standing here right now…”