Derrick Thomas and his Kansas City teammate Neil Smith, right, started the Third and Long Foundation to fight illiteracy and to help children in troubling situations. (Photo courtesy of the Third ...

Robert Thomas, Derrick's father, was killed when his B-52G heavy bomber was shot down in combat during the Vietnam War back in 1972. Derrick didn't learn the cause of his father's death until he ...

As Chiefs prepare for their first Super Bowl in 50 years, the late Derrick Thomas is top of mind for some of his old teammates. He was the heartbeat of some great Kansas City teams.

From that moment forward, Smith and Thomas formed one of the most feared pass-rushing tandems in NFL history. Between 1989 and 1996, they combined for 171.5 sacks—90.5 from Thomas and 81 from ...

Derrick Thomas, once the most feared man on the NFL’s best defense, died 20 years ago next month, first paralyzed by a car wreck in Kansas City and then killed two weeks later by a blood clot ...

Derrick Thomas died 24 years ago on Feb. 8, 2000. The Pro Football Hall of Famer was a first-round pick of the Chiefs out of Alabama in 1989.

"Derrick Thomas, the Kansas City Chiefs' Pro Bowl linebacker known for his ferocious play on the field and his charity work off it, died unexpectedly yesterday morning in a Miami hospital, 16 days ...

His son, Derrick Thomas Jr., is now 33 years old — the same age the linebacker was when he lost his life after a car accident. "It feels crazy because I still feel so young.

Neil Smith recently spoke about what made Derrick Thomas so productive and how the duo pushed each other toward greatness. “Marty [Schottenheimer] and Bill Cowher came to me and said, ...