Brookfield native and Wisconsin alumnus Joe Thomas selected for Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Joe Thomas, a graduate of Brookfield Central High School in suburban Milwaukee and the University of Wisconsin, is headed into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Elected in his first year of eligibility with the Class of 2023, Thomas was announced as one of five modern-era inductees during the NFL Honors ceremony on Thursday night, chosen by a panel of voters and lined up for induction in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 5.
Others earning selection were cornerback Darrelle Revis, cornerback Ronde Barber, edge rusher DeMarcus Ware and linebacker Zach Thomas.
More:A look at the Green Bay Packers (and other Wisconsin connections) in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
More:Browns owners congratulate Hall of Famer Joe Thomas: 'He was the essence of all you want'
Joe Thomas, who made the Pro Bowl as a left tackle in each of his 10 full seasons with the Cleveland Browns, played 10,363 consecutive snaps during his career before a torn triceps muscle ended his 2017 season and his career. He announced his retirement in early 2018.
Thomas was selected first-team All-Pro six times, second team twice more, and garnered a spot on the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2010s. He was runner-up as Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2007, behind Vikings sensation Adrian Peterson.
He earned the rare distinction of a first-ballot Hall of Famer who had never played in a playoff game. Only four players — Dick Butkus, Gale Sayers, Larry Wilson and Floyd Little — ended their careers after the 1970 merger with no playoff appearances and still received a gold jacket. Butkus, Sayers and Wilson were all first-ballot selections like Thomas.
Thomas among the greatest linemen ever at the University of Wisconsin, if not the best
Thomas, still only 38 years old, won the Outland Trophy at Wisconsin in his final season, 2006, and earned unanimous All-American status that year in his second season as an All-Big Ten choice. He did it all after recovering from a torn ACL in the final game of his junior year.
Thomas suffered the injury while filling in on defense for an injury-depleted Badgers line in the Capital One Bowl after the 2005 season, a 24-10 win for UW over Auburn. Thomas said he entered that game unsure whether he would declare for the subsequent NFL Draft or return for his senior season; the injury made the choice for him.
He was back in 2006, and UW finished the year 12-1 with the lone loss to No. 6 Michigan and another triumph in the Capital One Bowl, this time over Arkansas, to close the year. Thereafter, Thomas became the third overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft by the Browns.
Famously, Thomas wasn't in attendance at the draft in New York, electing to spend the day fishing with his father on Lake Michigan off the coast of Port Washington on board a boat called Foxy Lady 3.
Back in 2007, on one of the most significant days of Joe Thomas’ life - @joethomas73 skipped the @NFLDraft to go fishing?! pic.twitter.com/ENrAjjg7ag
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 7, 2022
Wisconsin Badgers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Thomas joins a small fraternity of former University of Wisconsin alumni in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. That list includes:
Former Packers quarterback Arnie Herber (inducted in 1966), who attended Wisconsin in 1928 and played on the freshman team before moving to Denver. The Green Bay native played for more than a decade with the Packers from 1930-40.
Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch (inducted in 1967), who played for the Badgers in 1941 and 1942 and spent nine of his 12 seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. The native of Wausau served as UW's athletics director from 1969-87.
Offensive lineman Mike Webster (1997), a 1974 graduate, became a fixture with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 15 seasons and might be the best center in football history. He hails from Rhinelander.
Gil Brandt (2019), inducted as an executive who was vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys from 1960 to 1988 and a scouting pioneer. He hails from Milwaukee and attended Milwaukee North Division.
More:Browns icon Joe Thomas is first-ballot Hall of Famer. How shot put, swimming aided journey
More:'Blessed and honored beyond belief': Hall of Famer Joe Thomas thanks Cleveland Browns fans
Thomas starred in basketball, track and field and football at Brookfield Central
Thomas was a three-sport standout at Brookfield Central. He appeared in four state tournaments with the Central boys basketball team, starting for the Lancers in the final three years from 2001-03. He scored 20 points in a state-quarterfinal loss to Fond du Lac as a senior and pulled in 13 rebounds in a win over Fort Atkinson in the quarterfinal as a junior.
In track and field, he was the 2003 state champion in the discus and shot put in Division 1, helping Central take second place as a team and narrowly miss a team championship, one point behind Milwaukee Vincent.
His two sacks in the 2002 state-championship football game are still among the most in Division 2 history, though Central lost to Menomonie, 17-14. Thomas was also part of the 1999 Central team that lost to Menomonie in the state final, 19-8.
JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.
Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.
DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brookfield native, ex-Wisconsin star Joe Thomas named to Hall of Fame
