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WESSON – Former Copiah-Lincoln Community College football standout Randy Thomas of Fayetteville, Georgia, will be inducted into the Mississippi Community College Sports Hall of Fame on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. A 1996 graduate of Co-Lin, Thomas was a Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College All-State, National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region and NJCAA All-American selection as a two-year starter on the offensive line for the Wolf Pack football team. He was rated the best JUCO lineman in the state by the Clarion-Ledger and the fifth-best player overall. After Co-Lin, Thomas transferred to Mississippi State University, where he started every game in his two years and quickly established himself as one of the Bulldogs’ top offensive linemen. He earned First-Team All-SEC honors, Second Team All-American honors, and was also an Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll recipient.
In 1999, he was drafted by the New York Jets where he started all 16 games during his rookie season. He is a veteran of 11 National Football League seasons, having spent time with the Jets (1999-2002) and the Washington Redskins (2003-2009). He played and started in 143 games in his professional career. In nine of his 11 seasons, Thomas was a member of an offensive line that blocked for 1,000-yard rushers Curtis Martin of the New York Jets (1999-02), Clinton Portis (2004-05 and 2007-08) and Ladell Betts of the of the Washington Redskins (2006).
A severe triceps injury sidelined Thomas for much of the 2009 season, and some questioned if the injury would end his career. However, in 2010 Thomas signed with the Miami Dolphins, but did not suit up in a regular season game for the team after suffering another arm injury. He officially retired from the NFL in 2014.
Thomas was inducted into the Co-Lin Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. He was named to the Southeastern Conference Football Legends Class of 2016. He and his wife, Teresa have four children, Brandi, Randy, Teri and Cameron.
