Norris Thomas

{{Short description|American football player (1954–2025)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}

{{Use American English|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

|image = Norris Thomas 1982 (cropped).png

|caption = Thomas, {{Circa|1982}}

|name=Norris Thomas

|number=41

|position=Cornerback

|birth_date={{birth date|1954|5|3}}

|birth_place=Inverness, Mississippi, U.S.

|death_date={{death date and age|2025|3|7|1954|5|3}}

|death_place=Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.

|height_ft=6

|weight_lb=180

|height_in=0

|high_school=Pascagoula {{nowrap|(Pascagoula, Mississippi)}}

|college=Southern Miss

|draftyear=1976

|draftround=9

|draftpick=257

|pastteams=

• Miami Dolphins ({{NFL Year|1976|1979}})
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers ({{NFL Year|1980|1984}})

|statlabel1=Interceptions

|statvalue1=9

|statlabel2=Fumble recoveries

|statvalue2=7

|statlabel3=Defensive touchdowns

|statvalue3=1

|pfr=ThomNo20

}}

Norris Lee Thomas (May 3, 1954 – March 7, 2025) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He played college football for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.{{cite web|title=Norris Thomas|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/ThomNo20.htm|website=pro-football-reference.com|accessdate=April 20, 2018}} He was inducted into the Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.{{cite web|title=Pascagoula Athletic Hall of Fame 2016; Norris Thomas|url=http://www.gulflive.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/pascagoula_athletic_hall_of_fa_8.html|website=gulflive.com|accessdate=April 20, 2018|date=June 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180720081118/https://www.gulflive.com/sports/index.ssf/2016/06/pascagoula_athletic_hall_of_fa_8.html|archive-date=July 20, 2018|url-status=dead}} He was the brother of fellow NFL player Lynn Thomas.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/ThomNo20.htm | title=Norris Thomas | publisher=Pro Football Reference | accessdate=9 December 2024}} He died in Biloxi, Mississippi, on March 7, 2025, at the age of 70.{{cite web |title=Norris Thomas |url=https://www.unityfh.net/obituary/norris-thomas |website=Rodney D. Swilley |access-date=17 March 2025}}