Clendon Thomas

Clendon Thomas (December 28, 1935 – January 27, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a halfback and defensive back for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). played college football for the Oklahoma Sooners.

Life and career Thomas attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for the Sooners under coach Bud Wilkinson. He led the Sooners in scoring during both the 1956 and 1957 seasons, while also leading the nation in the category during the 1956 season. He helped lead the Sooners to back-to-back national championships in 1955 and 1956. He was a first-team all-conference selection his junior and senior years and was a consensus All-American his senior year.

In the 1958 NFL draft, Thomas was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the second round. He played for the Rams for four seasons before being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played for another seven years and finished his career. He was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1963 NFL season.

Thomas was selected for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011.

After retiring from football, Thomas had various business ventures. In 1978, he founded Chemical Products Corporation in Oklahoma City. The company manufactured water repellents treatments for concrete and similar surfaces. It was a pioneer in the use of siloxane-based chemistry.

Thomas died on January 27, 2026, at the age of 90.