NFL Card Show - J.T. Thomas

NFL CARD SHOW 

J.T. Thomas

Writing my blog got me thinking about my roots as a fan of the NFL.  The first game I remember vividly was Super Bowl III played in 1969 between the Baltimore Colts of the NFL and the New York Jets of the AFL.   At about that same time I began to amass my football card collection.  I probably collected cards from grade one through grade seven.  Topps was the only card company at that time.  The cards came with the obligatory piece of cardboard style bubble gum.  

I am going to make each Wednesday show and tell for a card or two that I pull at random from my collection.  I hope you enjoy a trip down memory lane if this was your era, or a little history lesson if these cards are 10-20 

years older than you are.

If there could be a little-known member of the famous Pittsburgh Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970's, that person was cornerback J.T. Thomas.

The Steelers drafted Thomas in the first round in 1973.  He became a starter in 1974 and played on the Steeler Super Bowl winning teams in 1974, 1975, and 1979.  Thomas had to miss the entire 1978 season as he battled a rare blood disorder.  He returned to his Steelers starting role in 1979 and stayed there through the 1982 season.  Thomas finished his career with one year in Denver in 1983.  He made the All Pro team in 1976 when the Steeler defense carried a team decimated by injuries to the AFC Championship Game.