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BUFTHOMAS34

Thurman Thomas

Retired

Miami Dolphins · RB

Thurman Thomas recorded 180 indexed regular-season NFL appearances across 13 rostered seasons with Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills.

▶Best highlights

66.9

rush yds/gm

24.6

rec yds/gm

21

playoff games

180

career games

Five defining games

Start here

A researched consensus introduction to Thurman Thomas's defining games.

Editorial methodology and sources

Cross-checked Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas, postseason and milestone context, and verified Athlore box scores. This frozen editorial order balances the highest-leverage indexed appearances with statistical peaks that represent Thurman Thomas's career; no ranking formula runs in the application.

  1. #1. In the conference championship against Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, Thurman Thomas recorded 186 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 22 receiving yards in the leading indexed performance of this editorial five. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas
  2. #2. In the Super Bowl against Buffalo Bills and New York Giants, Thurman Thomas recorded 135 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 55 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas
  3. #3. In the Divisional Round against Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns, Thurman Thomas recorded 27 rushing yards, 150 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas
  4. #4. Against Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills, Thurman Thomas recorded 165 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdowns, 103 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas
  5. #5. Against Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills, Thurman Thomas recorded 103 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns, 33 receiving yards in a performance that preserves an essential part of the career record. Pro Football Hall of Fame: Thurman Thomas

Reviewed through 2026-08-11

Conference Championship
1993
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
BUFFALOBILLS
JAN 23, 1994

Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills

Conference Championship · Jan 23, 1994

186 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 2 rec

Super Bowl
XXV
BUFFALOBILLS
NEW YORKGIANTS
JAN 27, 1991

Buffalo Bills vs New York Giants

Super Bowl XXV · Jan 27, 1991

135 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 5 rec

Divisional Round
1989
BUFFALOBILLS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
JAN 6, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

Divisional Round · Jan 6, 1990

27 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 13 rec

Regular Season
1991
MIAMIDOLPHINS
BUFFALOBILLS
SEP 1, 1991

Miami Dolphins vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Sep 1, 1991

165 rush yds · 1 rush TD · 8 rec

Regular Season
1992
LOS ANGELESRAMS
BUFFALOBILLS
SEP 6, 1992

Los Angeles Rams vs Buffalo Bills

Regular Season · Sep 6, 1992

103 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 3 rec

Single-game peaks

Career highs

Position-relevant single-game records from Thurman Thomas's indexed NFL box scores.

Career high: 214 rushing yards

Regular Season
1990
BUFFALOBILLS
NEW YORKJETS
SEP 24, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets

Regular Season · Sep 24, 1990

214 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 3 rec

Career high: 3 rushing touchdowns

Conference Championship
1993
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
BUFFALOBILLS
JAN 23, 1994

Kansas City Chiefs vs Buffalo Bills

Conference Championship · Jan 23, 1994

186 rush yds · 3 rush TD · 2 rec

Career high: 15 carries

Regular Season
1999
BUFFALOBILLS
NEW ENGLANDPATRIOTS
DEC 26, 1999

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots

Regular Season · Dec 26, 1999

84 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 0 rec

Career high: 150 receiving yards

Divisional Round
1989
BUFFALOBILLS
CLEVELANDBROWNS
JAN 6, 1990

Buffalo Bills vs Cleveland Browns

Divisional Round · Jan 6, 1990

27 rush yds · 0 rush TD · 13 rec

Career chapters

Franchise eras

Follow the team eras that shaped Thurman Thomas's career, in chronological order.

Earliest → latest

Franchise era

1985–1996

01
BUFTHOMAS34Thurman Thomas
BUFKELLY12Jim Kelly
BUFSMITH78Bruce Smith

Four consecutive AFC championships

Buffalo Bills · The K-Gun years

Kelly's no-huddle offense and a defense led by Smith reached four straight Super Bowls, an achievement defined equally by dominance and heartbreak.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

1997–2016

02
BUFTHOMAS34Thurman Thomas
BUFMOULDS80Eric Moulds
BUFJACKSON22Fred Jackson

Great defenses and near misses without January

Buffalo Bills · The seventeen-year drought

Buffalo cycled through coaches and quarterbacks while devoted fans waited through the league's longest active playoff drought.

Read the era story →

Franchise era

2000–2015

03
MIATHOMAS34Thurman Thomas
MIATAYLOR99Jason Taylor
MIATHOMAS54Zach Thomas

Defense and the Wildcat fill a quarterback vacuum

Miami Dolphins · Life after Marino

Elite defenders and brief offensive revivals produced occasional playoff teams without a lasting answer at quarterback.

Read the era story →

Career accomplishments

Pro Bowl selection · 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993First-team All-Pro · 1990, 1991NFL MVP · 1991NFL Offensive Player of the Year · 199113 NFL seasons180 career games12,050 career rushing yards65 career rushing touchdowns469 career receptions4,432 career receiving yards23 career receiving touchdowns2 career solo tacklesJersey: 3421 playoff appearances4 Super Bowl appearancesFirst appearance: Sep 4, 1988Most recent: Nov 12, 2000

Official awards via ESPN · Pro Bowl and All-Pro counts via NFLverse with selection years cross-checked against Wikipedia · league leads verified from indexed regular-season stats

Team history