Former NFL tight end Aaron Thomas, who played for the New York Giants during the 1962-1970 seasons, passed away on April 26 at his home in Corvallis, Oregon, after a long illness. He was 86.
Thomas played 116 regular-season games, etching himself in the team’s record books with 254 receptions (17th), 4,253 yards (14th), and 35 touchdowns (tied for sixth with Homer Jones and Del Shofner). The sturdy Thomas missed only seven games during his NFL career.
Thomas also had two receptions in the 1963 NFL Championship Game, in which the Giants lost 14-10 to the Chicago Bears.
Thomas, who played college ball at Oregon State, first became a potential Giants draft target during the Senior Bowl, where Giants head coach Allie Sherman coached him. Sherman was so impressed with Thomas that he told him he would find a way to trade for him if he couldn’t draft him.
Thomas was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 1961 draft and by the Dallas Texans (later the Kansas City Chiefs) in the 16th round of the American Football League draft. Sherman and the Giants acquired Thomas via trade from the 49ers by sending halfback Bob Gaiters to the 49ers.
In 1964, Thomas led the Giants with 43 receptions for 624 yards and six touchdowns, earning a Pro Bowl berth. In 1967, he recorded career highs in receptions (51), receiving yards (877), and touchdowns (9).
Thomas retired following the 1970 season. His son, Robb Thomas, later went on to have a ten-year career in the NFL as a wide receiver, entering the league as a fourth-round draft choice by the Chiefs in 1989.
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