| No. 81, 84, 86 | |||||||
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| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | March 29, 1966 Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 178 lb (81 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Corvallis High School (Corvallis, Oregon) | ||||||
| College: | Oregon State (1985–1989) | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 1989 / Round: 6 / Pick: 143 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||||
Robb Douglas Thomas (born March 29, 1966) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) who played from 1989 to 1998.
Thomas graduated from Corvallis High School in Corvallis, Oregon in 1985 where he starred in football and track. In his junior season at Corvallis High in 1983, Thomas helped lead the Corvallis Spartans to a 3A Oregon State Championship.[1]
At Oregon State University, Thomas set many records. He currently is second in "all purpose running yards" at OSU. His total of 3,379 yards for rushing, receiving and punt and kick-off returns during his career (1985–1988) is behind only that of Ken Carpenter's 3,903 yards from 1947 to 1949. His 230 yards vs. Akron in 1987 was a school record until broken by Mike Hass in 2004.[circular reference]
Thomas was drafted in the sixth round of the 1989 NFL Draft (143rd overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs.[2] Thomas spent half of his rookie season on the IR, had 8 receptions for 58 yards and 2 touchdowns while adjusting to Marty Schottenheimer's offense. The following season, Thomas started 12 games for the Chiefs, snagging 41 receptions for 545 yards and 4 touchdowns. In his third and final season in Kansas City, Thomas led the team with 43 receptions and 495 yards while starting 12 games alongside rookie Tim Barnett.[3]
Thomas signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks in 1992. Thomas provided depth for the Seahawks at the wide receiver position but only started 1 game in his first three seasons in Seattle. In his fourth and final season in Seattle, Robb would start 2 games and make 12 receptions for 239 yards and a career high 19.9 yards a reception.[4]
In 1996, after four seasons playing in Seattle, Thomas signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing for rookie head coach Tony Dungy. With the Buccaneers, Thomas had his first chance for significant playing time since playing for the Chiefs. Robb would start 8 games in 1996 and make 33 receptions for 427 yards and 2 touchdowns. His playing time would diminish over his final two seasons, as younger receivers came into the organization. Robb's final reception in his 10-year NFL career came on a 50-yard touchdown catch on December 27, 1998, on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. This would be his final NFL game.[5]
Robb now resides in Oregon, with his wife Melinda and their three children.[citation needed] His father, Aaron Thomas also played wide receiver in the NFL.