Former tight end for the Giants Aaron Thomas passed away at age 86.
After a protracted illness, former NFL tight end Aaron Thomas, who was a member of the New York Giants from 1962 to 1970, passed away on April 26 at his Corvallis, Oregon, home. He was eighty-six.
In 116 regular-season games, Thomas recorded 174 receptions, 4,253 yards, and 35 touchdowns (tied for sixth with Homer Jones and Del Shofner) to leave his mark in the team’s record books. Over his NFL career, the durable Thomas missed just seven games. Thomas, an Oregon State basketball player, gained attention as a possible Giants draft pick during the Senior Bowl while being coached by Allie Sherman, the head coach of the team. Thomas so impressed Sherman that, should he not be able to draft him, he promised to find a way to trade for him.
In the fourth round of the 1961 NFL draft, Thomas was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers; in the 16th round of the AFL draft, he was chosen by the Dallas Texans (who would later become the Kansas City Chiefs). By trading halfback Bob Gaiters to the 49ers, Sherman and the Giants were able to obtain Thomas. With 43 receptions for 624 yards and six touchdowns in 1964, Thomas led the Giants and was selected to the Pro Bowl. He set career highs in 1967 with 51 receptions, 877 receiving yards, and 9 touchdowns.
Thomas hung up his boots after the 1970 campaign. Afterwards, Robb Thomas, his son, played wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs for ten seasons after being selected in the fourth round of the 1989 NFL Draft.
