Rodney Thomas, standout running back from Groveton, Texas has died at the age of 41 according to Trinity County Justice of the Peace, Rod Blair. According to a report in The Eagle, Thomas died Saturday night in Groveton.  No cause of death has been given at this point. 

I arrived in East Texas in January 1990 and one of my first memories was of watching Friday night highlights of a running back for a class 2A who just ran over and sped past defending football players.  He would run for over 8400 yards in his high school career with the Indians and he tacked on another 3000+ yards playing for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Thomas was then drafted by the Houston Oilers.  He went on to play for 7 seasons in the NFL.  He played for the Oilers and then for the Titans when the team moved to Tennessee.  He finished his career with the Atlanta Falcons.

Thomas leaves behind a wife and child.

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