Summer Celebration: Former Harvester and Red Raider Zach Thomas to be inducted into 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame

PAMPA, Texas (KFDA) - Zach Thomas, former Pampa Harvester and Texas Tech Red Raider, will be inducted as the 370th member of the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Thomas graduated from Pampa High School in 1992. He went on to play college football at Texas Tech where he was a unanimous All-American pick.

He was drafted in 1996 in the fifth round, 22nd pick (154th overall) of the NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins.

He played middle linebacker for the Dolphins for 12 years (1996-2007). In 2008, his final season in the NFL, he played for the Dallas Cowboys.

His first year in the league (1996), he was named AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year. Thomas currently stands as the 2nd all-time in Dolphin’s history for most games played as a defensive player with 168. He was also a seven-time Pro Bowl selection.

Thomas was inducted into the Texas Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006 and into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Then on February 9th, 2023, Zach Thomas received the news of a lifetime as he was elected to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.

“It’s humbling, but as you know, it’s a team game. You are only as good as what’s around you, but to really look back at that even when I was just young, I would just want one year in the NFL. It was a dream. No one really believed me when I said I wanted to play in the NFL, but I believed in myself. I am just proud to represent all of the people that helped me along the way,” Zach Thomas said when asked about what it means to be inducted.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremony will be on August 5th, 2023 in Canton, Ohio.

Thomas has also been selected to be the first inductee and speaker at the ceremony.

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