Derrick Thomas Derrick Vincent Thomas ( January 1 , 1967February 8 , 2000 ) , nicknamed D . T . , was an American football linebacker and defensive end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League ( NFL ) . He played his entire 11 - year career for the Chiefs after being drafted fourth overall in the 1989 NFL Draft . Thomas , part of the class of 2009 entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame , was a premier football player throughout the 1990s and is considered one of the best pass rushers of all time . In 1990 against the Seattle Seahawks , he set an NFL record with seven sacks in a single game . On February 8 , 2000 , Thomas died from a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled to his lungs . His paralysis was the result of severe injuries sustained in a car accident weeks earlier . Early life . Born in Miami , Florida , Thomas was raised by his mother . His father , Air Force Captain and B - 52 pilot Robert James Thomas , died during a mission in the Vietnam War . Thomas started playing football when he was three years old . He played high school football at South Miami Senior High School . College career . Alongside Cornelius Bennett and later Keith McCants , Thomas spearheaded one of the best defensive lines in college football and smashed many Crimson Tide defensive records , including sacks in a single season . He was awarded the Butkus Award in 1988 after a season which saw him set an NCAA record 27 sacks along with finishing 10th in Heisman Trophy balloting . He currently holds the single season NCAA FBS sack record with 27 and what was the career sack record with 52 career sacks . He was also selected as a unanimous All - American at the conclusion of the 1988 season , a season which culminated in the Crimson Tide ' s thrilling 29 - 28 victory over Army in the 1988 Sun Bowl . In 2000 , Thomas was named a Sun Bowl Legend . He was awarded the Sington Soaring Spirit Award by the Lakeshore Foundation . This annual award is named for University of Alabama football legend Fred Sington . Professional career . Thomas was selected in the first round of the 1989 NFL Draft , fourth overall , and was signed by the Chiefs . He would remain with the Chiefs for his entire career . Thomas ' s rookie year was very successful , earning him Defensive Rookie of the Year by the " Sporting News " , and was the first Chiefs ' linebacker to be elected to the Pro Bowl in his first season since Hall of Fame player Bobby Bell . He would appear in nine Pro Bowls during his career . Thomas was perhaps most well known for his ability to sack the quarterback and was named an All - Pro 9 times and was voted to 9 Pro Bowls in his 10 year career . He totaled 126 . 5 sacks in his career , ranking 12th all - time in NFL history , and still holds the single game record of 7 quarterback sacks , a feat which occurred against Seattle ' s Dave Krieg on Veterans Day , 1990 . Ironically , it was a sack that Thomas didn ' t get that decided the game : on the final play , Krieg eluded a blitzing Thomas and threw a touchdown pass to give the Seahawks a 17 - 16 win . The next player to come close to breaking this record was Thomas himself , recording 6 sacks against the Oakland Raiders in the regular season opener in 1998 . He is one of only 25 NFL players to achieve 100 or more sacks , and ranks fifth all - time in Chiefs ' history with 649 career tackles . During his career , he also recorded 1 interception and recovered 19 fumbles , returning them for 161 yards and 4 touchdowns . Thomas established Chiefs career records for sacks , safeties , fumble recoveries , and forced fumbles . Off the field , Thomas established the Third and Long Foundation in 1990 , which helps inner city youth learn to read and teaches life skills through educational and cultural programs . On January 31 , 2009 , Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his fifth year of eligibility . Death . On January 23 , 2000 , Thomas ' 1999 Chevrolet Suburban went off Interstate 435 as he and two passengers were driving to Kansas City International Airport during a snowstorm , where he was going to fly to St . Louis to watch the NFC Championship game . Police reports indicate that Thomas , who was driving , was speeding at approximately 100 m . p . h . even though snow and ice were accumulating on the roadway . Thomas continued weaving erratically through traffic until the time of the accident . Thomas and one of the passengers were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the car ; the passenger was killed instantly . The second passenger , who was wearing his safety belt , walked away from the scene uninjured . Thomas was left paralyzed from the chest down . By early February , Thomas was being treated at Miami ' s Jackson Memorial Hospital . The morning of February 8 , 2000 , while being transferred from his hospital bed to a wheelchair on his way to therapy , Thomas told his mother he was not feeling well . His eyes then rolled back , recalled Frank Eismont , an orthopedic surgeon at Jackson Memorial Hospital . Eismont said Thomas went into cardio - respiratory arrest and died as a result of a pulmonary embolism ; a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled through his venous system to his lungs . Months later , Thomas ' mother , Edith Morgan , his seven children and their five mothers sued General Motors in an attempt to make them take financial responsibility for the accident that Thomas caused , seeking at least $ 73 million . In 2004 , a jury ruled the family was not entitled to any money . Legacy . In 1990 Derrick Thomas founded the Derrick Thomas Third and Long Foundation . The foundations mission is to ' sack illiteracy ' and change the lives of 9 to 13 year old urban children facing challenging and even life - threatening situations in the Kansas City area . Through social , cultural and educational activities and programs , the Third and Long Foundation . helps participating children succeed in school and in an outside world possessing seemingly insurmountable obstacles . On January 31 , 2009 , Derrick Thomas was one of six players selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame . He was officially inducted in Canton , Ohio on August 8 , 2009 . He had been a finalist for induction for four years before his induction . The Chiefs announced on June 23 , 2009 that they would retire # 58 in honor of Thomas , and the retirement ceremony took place on December 6 , 2009 when the Chiefs played the Denver Broncos . Thomas ' s mother established the Moms2Moms58 Foundation to honor her son ' s legacy . The foundation works with professional football players , non - profit organizations , community leaders , political figures and entertainers to educate the public on car seat and seatbelt safety , children ' s health and sports safety outreach to inner - city youth . Each year Moms2Moms58 hosts the " Celebration of Life Celebrity Weekend " in Derrick ' s hometown of Miami , FL . The Celebration of Life was established to honor the life and charitable works of Thomas through music , entertainment and fundraising for community enrichment programs . Moms2Moms58 and Celebration of Life are administered through 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) status . The Derrick Thomas Academy , a charter school in Kansas City , Missouri , opened in September 2002 . It served nearly 1 , 000 children from kindergarten through eighth grade until it closed in 2013 . The Chiefs have named their player of the year award in Thomas ' s honor . Notable winners of the Derrick Thomas award include Derrick Thomas himself , Christian Okoye , Neil Smith , Marcus Allen , Priest Holmes , Trent Green , Larry Johnson , Jared Allen , Tony Gonzalez , and Jamaal Charles . ( Thomas , Okoye , Smith , and Allen won the award prior to the award being named for him ) Country music singer Hank Williams , Jr . , on his " Almeria Club " album , did a song called " Cross on the Highway " , in memory of Thomas , as well as Mike Tellis , who was a passenger in the January 2000 accident . Williams was friends with both Thomas and Tellis . Personal life . Derrick Thomas was survived by his children , Burgandie , Derrick Jr . , Derrion , Derrius , Donnell Robert , Micayla , Alexa , as well as his mother , sisters , brother , nieces and nephews . Derrion attended Blue Springs South High School , in Blue Springs , Mo . , graduating in 2009 . Shortly after committing to Missouri , he announced that would be attending Longview Community College in Lee ' s Summit , Missouri to work on his GPA . After leaving Longview , he walked on to the Missouri football team . Daughter Alexa Harmon - Thomas is a Kansas State High School Activities Association state champion hurdler for Lawrence Free State High School , his other son Derrius , is currently playing basketball and is a Georgia Christian Athletic Association state champion .