Zach Thomas isn't quite sure what to make of the way college football has evolved since his days as a linebacker at Texas Tech from 1992-1995. Big 12 football, with its no-huddle offenses and empty backfields, isn't quite what he remembers from the old Southwest Conference.
Thomas will be among 17 players and coaches inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Foundation Awards Ceremony on Tuesday. The former Miami Dolphins star made 390 tackles as a Red Raider, was a two-time Southwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and a unanimous first-team All-American.
Thomas credited two inspirations: former Oklahoma linebacker Brian Bosworth, who joins Thomas in the 2015 College HOF class, and his older brother and Texas Tech teammate, Bart Thomas.
"I'm from the Texas panhandle and we're near Norman, Okla., and we always saw (Bosworth's) games. Watching Bosworth, how he controlled the field from sideline to sideline, it impacted me as a kid to where I had these dreams," Thomas told CFB 24/7. "To go in with that guy, I'm excited. He was fun to watch.
"I followed my brother to Texas Tech. My brother was my idol growing up. I always looked up to him. He's older than me. He was a natural athlete and made everything look easy. I always wanted to be like him, and that pushed me to work hard. He was fast, tall -- he went to state in five events in track -- (and) played basketball, too. He was all-everything."
