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The late great Derrick Thomas grew up in Miami and played his entire 11-year NFL career in Kansas City.
In between he spent four years at the University of Alabama, dominating on defense as few players have ever done in college football history.
''Alabama meant everything to Derrick, even after he moved to Kansas City,'' Edith Morgan, Thomas' mother, said Thursday. ''He still had his Alabama (license) plates and went back to Alabama whenever he could.''
It took longer than Crimson Tide fans would have liked, but Thomas was elected Thursday to the College Football Hall of Fame, highlighting a class of 14 players that also includes LaDainian Tomlinson, Sterling Sharpe and Tony Boselli.
Thomas, who died in 2000 at age 33 shortly after an automobile accident left him paralyzed, was one of the Hall of Fame's most obvious omissions. Alabama fans had been growing increasingly annoyed by the wait in recent years.
His credentials could not be argued against. After choosing to attend Alabama over Oklahoma, Thomas played for the Tide from 1985-88. He won the Butkus Award as the nation's best linebacker as a senior when he had 27 sacks. He finished his career with 52 sacks, a school record.
''He was really, really fond of Alabama and he loved the Crimson Tide, not only the school but the city of Tuscaloosa itself,'' Morgan said.
Thomas was drafted fourth overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1989 and made nine Pro Bowls. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.
The new College Football Hall of Fame class announced by the National Football Foundation at a news conference in Dallas also featured a couple of Heisman Trophy finalists and two of the best offensive linemen of the early 1990s.
Tomlinson led the nation in rushing in his final two seasons at TCU (1999 and 2000) and finished fourth in the Heisman voting in 2000.
''This is a great honor,'' said Tomlinson, who attended the news conference. ''As a kid you never set out to land in the College Football Hall of Fame. You're just playing with your buddies, having fun, playing a game that you love.''
Tomlinson thanked TCU for giving him a chance.
''TCU was the first school to offer me a scholarship,'' he said. "I didn't have many, but they believed in me.''
Georgia Tech quarterback Joe Hamilton was the Heisman runner-up to Ron Dayne in 1999.
Boselli played tackle at Southern California from 1991-94 and was the second overall draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. Louisiana Tech tackle Willie Roaf was a finalist for the Outland Trophy as a senior in 1992 before going on to a long NFL career.
Sterling Sharpe held virtually every receiving record when he left South Carolina after the 1987 season.
The rest of the players who will be inducted during the National Football Foundation's awards banquet in December are: North Carolina cornerback Dre Bly; Purdue defensive tackle Dave Butz; Penn State linebacker Shane Conlan; Maine linebacker John Huard; Stanford running back Darrin Nelson; UCLA quarterback John Sciarra; McNeese State defensive back Leonard Smith; and Mississippi tight end Wesley Walls.
The two coaches who will join the Hall of Fame are Mike Bellotti, who led Oregon from 1995-2008, and Jerry Moore, who coached at North Texas, Texas Tech and Appalachian State.
Conlan, who was also in attendance, helped lead Penn State and coach Joe Paterno to the 1986 national championship.
''It's been a tough time the last few years at Penn State,'' he said, fighting back tears as he thanked the late Paterno. ''We miss you, Coach,'' he said.
