American gridiron football player and coach (1938–2015)
Jim Thomas Born: (1938-12-18 ) December 18, 1938Columbus, Mississippi , U.S.Died: October 4, 2015(2015-10-04) (aged 76) Columbus, Mississippi, U.S. CFL status American Position(s) RB Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) Weight 195 lb (88 kg) College Mississippi Industrial College 1963 –1971 Edmonton Eskimos
CFL All-Star 1966 , 1967 CFL West All-Star 1965 , 1966 , 1967 Records Eskimos Record
Longest Run (104) – October 9, 1965
James T. "Long Gone "[ 1] Thomas (December 18, 1938 – October 4, 2015) was an American gridiron football player and coach. He played professionally as a running back for nine seasons in the Canadian Football League CFL) with the Edmonton Eskimos . Thomas ran for 6,161 yards in his CFL career and was a two-time CFL All-Star.[ 2] He signed to the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in 1970 for a five-game trial, but returned to Edmonton.[ 3]
Thomas holds the record for the three longest rushing touchdowns in Eskimos history—a 104-yard run on October 9, 1965, against the BC Lions , a 100-yard run on August 2, 1966, against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers , and a 97-yard run on September 4, 1964, against the Ottawa Rough Riders .
Thomas attended R. E. Hunt High School in Columbus, Mississippi , a segregated school for blacks only. He attended college at Mississippi Industrial College in Holly Springs, Mississippi .
After his playing career was over, Thomas earned a master's degree from Southwestern Oklahoma State University . He coached in college at Southwestern Oklahoma State and the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) as well as Noxubee County High School , Houston High School, and in Memphis before winding up at Mississippi Valley State University .[ 4]
Thomas died in 2015.[ 5] [ 6]
Head coaching record
References
External links