J.T. Thomas
Corrnerback
1973-81

When Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene once said of the Steelers defense, ‘It takes all 11,’ he was referencing the impact every player on the Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s had on the team.

And one of those key players was cornerback J.T. Thomas.

“This means a whole lot to me,” said Thomas of his selection to the Hall of Honor. “If I look at my life and the number of deposits that were made on my life by the Rooneys, by Mr. Art Rooney Sr. on down, it’s just been amazing. What makes your life significant is all the people that make deposits in your life. Coming here from Macon, Georgia, I didn’t know if I wanted to come here because they hadn’t won much.

“But there were so many people that made an impact on my life, the people responsible for a lot of my life, coaches and teammates. It was the people in Pittsburgh I got to know, the relationships I formed. It’s something you can’t put a value on. That is something I treasure more than the Super Bowls. They were great and unique. But when you look at your life you don’t do this by yourself. There were so many people that played a role. I give credit to so many people for who I am.

“This is a great honor. When I talked to Art Rooney II, I was excited about it. I thought about it over the years, but I’ve got to the point where I thought I’m not going to get in. I didn’t know what the criteria is. But this is special.”

Thomas was drafted by the Steelers in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft, the 24th overall selection, out of Florida State, where he was the first African American football player to play in a varsity game and earn a varsity letter at Florida State, as well as the first Black football player to graduate from the school.

He spent nine seasons with the Steelers (1973-81) and still lives in the Pittsburgh area.

“It really changed my life,” said Thomas of his time with the Steelers.  “The people that I met at the Steelers organization, it was growing in the sense that we just started winning. More so, the people of Pittsburgh really embraced us, they almost owned us.

“At the time, the city was going through some transformation. I believe the Pittsburgh Steelers were the catalyst that gave the city momentum, gave the city identity, because they had a great football team. In that environment you built Steelers Nation. Even the people that left because of the exodus of the steel mills, I think those people today are still loyal.

“It’s just amazing, Steelers Nation. I don’t understand it, but I love it. It’s probably one of the most awesome organizations, the Pittsburgh Steelers and this fan base, that I have ever seen.”

He played in 125 career games, starting 89, with 20 interceptions and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1976. He played in three Super Bowls, missing Super Bowl XIII after he was sidelined for the season with sarcoidosis (inflammation of lungs and lymph nodes).

It was the ride to Super Bowl IX, the Steelers first one, that provided the most memorable moment in Thomas’ career.

“In terms of the sporting aspect it would be the 1974 AFC Championship game against the Oakland Raiders that took us to our first Super Bowl,” said Thomas. “We were young and underdogs. In the closing seconds I had an interception against Ken Stabler that kind of sealed the game.

“To me that was a high point, although at the time reality didn’t set in because we had a tough time believing we were going to the Super Bowl.”

Another thing that has always stood out to Thomas, and still does to this day, is the camaraderie the team had.

“It was fun because we had this common unity,” said Thomas. “The union and bond that was created that you don’t get in most organizations, where players come together in harmony. That feeling is hard to describe.”