SENATOBIA – Former Northwest standout, NJCAA All-American and 12-year NFL veteran defensive back Fred Thomas was inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 26.
The ninth annual induction ceremony was held at the Muse Center on the Rankin County campus of Hinds Community College.
A native of Bruce, Miss., Thomas played football for the Rangers under legendary head coach Bobby Franklin during the 1992-93 seasons.
Thomas spent time on both sides of the ball as a cornerback and receiver and was a mainstay on special teams. On defense, he tallied 69 tackles with five interceptions and 24 passes defended in two seasons, and on offense, he caught 21 passes for 349 yards and two touchdowns his sophomore year.
It was on special teams where Thomas did a majority of his damage, however. He finished his two-year career with 40 punt returns for 949 yards and four touchdowns, all school records, and had 19 kick returns for 498 yards and two scores for an average of 26.2 yards/return.
During the Rangers' 1992 NJCAA National Championship season, Thomas had 28 punt returns for 693 yards and single-season school record three touchdowns.
A two-time First Team All-MACJC selection and 1993 NJCAA Second Team All-American, Thomas still holds eight school records on special teams.
After Northwest, he played one season at Ole Miss and then transferred to the University of Tennessee-Martin. He was selected as the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks where he played in a total of 47 games from 1996-99.
Thomas joined the New Orleans Saints in 2000, and in his first season with the team, the Saints finished the regular season 10-6 and claimed the NFC West division title. New Orleans advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1992 and defeated St. Louis, the defending Super Bowl Champions, in the Wild Card round to claim the franchise's first playoff victory.
In 2002, Thomas received the Ed Block Courage Award and was named to the All-Madden team. He was also listed as an alternate for the NFL Pro Bowl after finishing the season with 83 tackles and career-high five interceptions. He had back-to-back seasons in which he totaled 80 tackles or more with the Saints and picked up the lone touchdown of his career on a 64-yard blocked field goal return in 2003.
Thomas and the Saints returned to New Orleans following the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina in 2006. The team played their first home game in Week 3, returning to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the first time since the 2005 season and handily defeated the rival Falcons, 23-3, on Monday Night Football. Thomas finished that season with 80 tackles and two interceptions, as the Saints captured the NFC South division title with a 10-6 mark and made the playoffs.
Thomas spent a total of eight seasons with the Saints before retiring in 2008. He finished his NFL career with 515 total tackles, 13 interceptions, 74 passes defended, nine forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.
Thomas is a 2005 Northwest Sports Hall of Fame inductee. He's currently an advocate leader in his community and devoted father to his six children: Jasmine, Jayla, Jhase, Harlem, Shekeita Craig and Aiden Hall.
