# Thurman Thomas
**Thurman Thomas** (Thurman Lee Thomas, born 1966 in Houston, Texas) is an American former professional football running back who starred for the [Buffalo Bills](https://www.edgepedia.org/buffalo-bills) from 1988 to 1999, was named NFL Most Valuable Player in 1991, and was inducted into the [Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/pro-football-hall-of-fame) in 2007.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/) • [2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) Nicknamed "The Therminator," he was the offensive engine of the Bills teams that reached four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/) • [3](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1966, Houston, Texas; 5 ft 10 in, 200 lb |
| College and draft | Oklahoma State; drafted by Buffalo in the second round (40th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/) |
| Career totals | 12,074 rushing yards, 4,458 receiving yards, 65 rushing touchdowns, 23 receiving touchdowns over 13 seasons[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) |
| Peak honors | 1991 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year; five Pro Bowls; two First-Team All-Pro selections; NFL All-Decade Team of the 1990s[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/) • [2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) |
| Scrimmage leadership | Led the NFL in yards from scrimmage four straight seasons, 1989 through 1992[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281) |
| Bills records | Franchise all-time leader in rushing yards (11,938) and yards from scrimmage (16,279)[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281) |
| Honors | Bills Wall of Fame (2005); Pro Football Hall of Fame (2007); No. 34 retired by the Bills[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281) |
## College career and the 1988 draft
Thomas played at Oklahoma State University, where he earned two First Team All-American selections.[5](https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/thomas-receive-honorary-degree-and-deliver-address-honors-convocation) His backfield teammate there was [Barry Sanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/barry-sanders), the 1988 [Heisman Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/heisman-trophy) winner, and Thomas later credited the competition with Sanders for sharpening his work habits: if Sanders ran ten 100-yard sprints, Thomas said, he had to run eleven to keep his edge.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
Thomas slipped to the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft because of concern about a knee injury suffered during his senior season. The Buffalo Bills, who had no first-round pick that year, selected him with the 40th overall choice.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
## Buffalo career, 1988 to 1999
After a rookie season that helped the Bills win a division title, Thomas broke out in 1989 with 1,244 rushing yards, 60 receptions, and 12 touchdowns.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) He then rushed for over 1,000 yards in eight consecutive seasons from 1989 to 1996, and recorded four seasons with 50 or more receptions.[3](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas)
**The 1991 MVP season.** Thomas led the NFL in all-purpose yards in 1990 as the Bills went 13-3 and reached the first of four straight [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) berths, rushing for 1,297 yards and 11 touchdowns while catching 49 passes for 532 yards and two scores.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) In 1991 he amassed more than 2,000 all-purpose yards, becoming the 11th player ever to do so, with 1,407 rushing yards, a career-high 62 receptions for 631 yards, and 12 touchdowns; he was voted NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) • [3](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas) He reached the 2,000-yard all-purpose mark again in 1992, capping a record fourth consecutive season leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
His receiving ability was a key ingredient of the Bills' "No Huddle" offense under coach [Marv Levy](https://www.edgepedia.org/marv-levy), an up-tempo attack that avoided huddling to keep defenses off balance.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/) • [1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/) In the playoffs after the 1990 season, Thomas rushed for 100 yards in each game, including [Super Bowl XXV](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-xxv), where he gained 135 yards on just 15 carries and scored on a 31-yard run in the fourth quarter, adding five receptions for 55 yards.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
Thomas played 12 of his 13 seasons in Buffalo, starting 160 games, and finished as the franchise's all-time leader in both rushing yards (11,938) and yards from scrimmage (16,279).[3](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas) • [4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281)
## Final seasons and retirement
Thomas finished his playing career with the [Miami Dolphins](https://www.edgepedia.org/miami-dolphins) in 2000, then signed with Buffalo and retired as a Bill in 2001.[3](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas) He retired as the NFL's ninth-ranked rusher with 12,074 yards, to which he added 4,458 yards on 472 catches.[2](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
## Legacy and honors
The Bills placed Thomas on their Wall of Fame in 2005, two years before his Pro Football Hall of Fame induction in the class of 2007.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281) In 2018 the team retired his No. 34 at a halftime ceremony, making him the third player in franchise history so honored, after [Jim Kelly](https://www.edgepedia.org/jim-kelly) (No. 12, 2001) and [Bruce Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-smith) (No. 78, 2016).[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281) Thomas chose the number in tribute to [Earl Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/earl-campbell) and Walter Payton, the two Hall of Fame running backs he admired.[4](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281)
**A model dual-threat back.** Commentators have described Thomas as a forerunner of the modern all-purpose running back, effective as both a runner and a receiver before that style became widespread; he led the NFL in scrimmage yards for four consecutive years and combined power and speed with a receiving game that fit Buffalo's hurry-up offense.[6](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/762666-power-ranking-the-top-100-running-backs-in-nfl-history) • [7](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2722732-nfl-nostalgia-ranking-the-best-running-backs-in-nfl-history) In 2018, when the Colts' running back neared the mark, Thomas stood ninth on the NFL's all-time list for scrimmage yards with 16,532.[8](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016-17-Indianapolis.pdf) In 2026, Buffalo State University awarded him a SUNY honorary degree, where he delivered the keynote address at the school's 69th Annual Honors Convocation.[5](https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/thomas-receive-honorary-degree-and-deliver-address-honors-convocation)
## References
1. [Buffalo Bills Top 5 Running Backs of All Time, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/pfr-blog/2025/03/buffalo-bills-top-5-running-back-of-all-time/)
2. [Thurman Thomas, Pro Football Hall of Fame](https://www.profootballhof.com/players/thurman-thomas/)
3. [Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame Profiles: Thurman Thomas](https://www.buffalobills.com/team/alumni/wall-of-fame-profiles/thurman-thomas)
4. [Bills honor Thurman Thomas by retiring his No. 34, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/news/bills-honor-thurman-thomas-by-retiring-his-no-34-0ap3000000981281)
5. [Thomas to receive honorary degree and deliver address at Honors Convocation, SUNY Buffalo State University](https://suny.buffalostate.edu/news/thomas-receive-honorary-degree-and-deliver-address-honors-convocation)
6. [Power Ranking the Top 100 Running Backs in NFL History, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/762666-power-ranking-the-top-100-running-backs-in-nfl-history)
7. [NFL Nostalgia: Ranking the Best Running Backs in NFL History, Bleacher Report](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2722732-nfl-nostalgia-ranking-the-best-running-backs-in-nfl-history)
8. [Statistical Comparison, Indianapolis Colts game program (2016)](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/2016-17-Indianapolis.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › American football players, coaches, and executives › Running backs › Retired NFL running backs › NFL running backs of the 1970s and 1980s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license