Headed to Canton: Dolphins great Zach Thomas elected to Pro Football Hall of Fame

The wait is over for Zach Thomas.

The former Dolphins middle linebacker who led Miami’s defense for over a decade has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 and will be enshrined in Canton, Ohio, in August.

Thomas on Thursday night was announced as part of the nine-man class was announced live on the “NFL Honors” show at Symphony Hall in Phoenix. He becomes the 11th Dolphins player or coach to receive football’s highest individual honor.

“I am truly honored and humbled to be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Thomas said in a statement. “Growing up in Texas, I dreamed of playing football at any level. To have played at Texas Tech and then be drafted by the Dolphins was the ultimate. It was indeed a dream come true.

“I want to thank my family for all the sacrifices they made for me over the years. I could never have accomplished this without your love and support. Thank you to all of my teammates. Each of you made me a better player and are a big part of where I am today. I’m looking forward to celebrating this with all of you. Thanks to all my coaches, trainers and equipment staff for helping this honor become a reality. Lastly, I want to thank the Dolphins fans. Your support means everything to me.”

Thomas played 12 of his 13 seasons with the Dolphins and started 182 of 184 games, totaling 1,734 total tackles (fifth in NFL history), 20.5 sacks, 17 interceptions, 14 forced fumbles and four touchdowns. A member of the NFL’s All-Decade team of the 2000s, Thomas was named 1996 AFC Defensive Rookie of the Year and received first- or second-team All-Pro honors seven times. He was also named to the Pro Bowl seven times, most by a defensive player in franchise history. Thomas retired as a Dolphin in 2010 and was inducted into the franchise’s ring of honor two years later alongside teammate Jason Taylor.

A unanimous All-American at Texas Tech who became the No. 154 overall pick in the 1996 NFL Draft, Thomas was the 18th linebacker selected in a class that also includes Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.

At a little under 6 feet, the self-proclaimed “slow, too-short guy from a small town in Texas” overcame questions about his size and athleticism with a blue-collar mentality, preparation and dedication to the game. As the Dolphins transitioned from a team led by its explosive offense to one spearheaded by its stingy defense in the aftermath of Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino’s retirement in 2000, Thomas emerged as one of the faces of the franchise and one of the best linebackers of his era.

The Dolphins finished in the top 10 in total defense from 1998 to 2004.

Thomas, 49, had been on the Hall of Fame ballot for a decade and was named a semifinalist for the Hall of Fame in the previous four seasons. He had advanced to the 15-person modern-era final ballot for the third consecutive time last year before falling short of the honor.

Thomas’ delayed entry into the Hall of Fame was met with objections from not only fans but his contemporaries.

“The most unnerving thing about playing Miami is Zach Thomas calling out all of your plays,” former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said in 2020. “He caused the most problems for me of any player I ever faced.”

In 2021, Tom Brady, who faced Thomas for several years in the division as a member of the Patriots, said the early 2000s Dolphins defense, was the unit he least enjoyed playing.

And former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, whose career overlapped with much of Thomas’, also advocated for him to be in the Hall of Fame.

“Put his stats up with mine, Ray [Lewis] any other linebacker who’s even close to the Hall of Fame or been in the Hall of Fame. He’s right there with us, if not better in every category,” Urlacher said last year.

But even as Thomas saw many of his peers enter the hallowed ground in Canton, including teammate Taylor in 2017, he expressed content with whatever followed.

“Coming from a small town in Texas and getting this far is bigger than I ever allowed myself to dream,” he said in 2021. “The game was my life for 28 years and I enjoyed every moment of it. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t change a thing.

Ronde Barber, Darrelle Revis, Joe Thomas, DeMarcus Ware, Don Coryell, Chuck Howley, Joe Klecko and Ken Riley were also named to the Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2023 will be enshrined in Canton on Saturday, Aug. 6, at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.