What situation brought former Buffalo Bill Thurman Thomas to the Hall of Fame?
Former Buffalo Bills Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly (L-R) pose with a bust of Bruce Smith upon his acceptance into the NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio August 8, 2009. Sources: http://www.daylife.
All that was missing were the chicken wings, because the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony had a distinct Buffalo flavor. Bills owner Ralph Wilson opened by loosening up the crowd with a few humorous anecdotes. And the chants of “Bruuce!” resounded through Fawcett Stadium last night, even before Bruce Smith, a former Bills defensive end, had taken the podium. In between there were emotional moments, when linebacker Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City and wide receiver Bob Hayes of the Dallas Cowboys were inducted posthumously. “For all Derrick Thomas fans, the light has gone back on,” former Chiefs president Carl Peterson said of Thomas, who died in February 2000 after a car accident, cutting short what had already been a stellar 11-year career. Hayes was introduced by his son, Bob Hayes Jr., who said that his father always wondered why it took so long for this achievement to happen. Hayes died in 2002 at the age of 59. “It hurts, because he’s not here to enjoy this,” Hayes sa
