Derrick Thomas: Sack master

Sacks in a season

With 20 sacks in 1990 at age 23, Derrick Thomas became the youngest player to crack the top 10 individual sack years in NFL history:

Rank, player (age)    Sacks    Year

1, Michael Strahan (30)     221⁄2    2001

2, Mark Gastineau (28)    22    1984

3, Reggie White* (26)    21    1987

    Chris Doleman (28)    21    1989

5, Lawrence Taylor* (27)    201⁄2    1986

6, Derrick Thomas* (23)    20    1990

    DeMarcus Ware (26)     20     2008

8, Tim Harris (25)    191⁄2    1989

9, Clyde Simmons (28)     19     1992

    Bruce Smith (27)     19     1990

    Mark Gastineau (27)     19     1983

* Hall of Famer



Sacks in a game

Derrick Thomas has two of the top four sack performances in a game in NFL history:

No.    Player    Game

7    Derrick Thomas    Kansas City vs. Seattle, Nov. 11, 1990

      Fred Dean    San Francisco vs. New Orleans, Nov. 13    

6    Derrick Thomas    Kansas City vs. Oakland, Sept. 6, 1998

    Osi Umenyiora    N.Y. Giants vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 30, 2007

5.5    William Gay    Detroit vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 4, 1983



Chief Thomas

Derrick Thomas’ year-by-year sack totals with the Kansas City Chiefs:

1989: 10

1990: 20

1991: 131⁄2

1992: 141⁄2

1993: 8

1994: 11

1995: 8

1996: 13

1997: 91⁄2

1998: 12

1999: 7

Total: 1261⁄2

Canton Repository