OU’s Clendon Thomas Inducted into Hall of Fame

Former Oklahoma Sooners running back Clendon Thomas was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame along with 14 other players on Saturday at the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind.

Thomas is Oklahoma's 24th inductee into the Hall of Fame, no other Big 12 school has more.

OU has placed 19 players and five former coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame; Thomas is OU's first inductee since Tom Brahaney in 2007.

Thomas was a consensus All-American for the Sooners in 1957 and was a key component in the Bud Wilkinson-led back-to-back national titles in 1955 and '56.

He was a member of several of the winningest teams in college football history, amassing a 31-1 record during his Sooner career. He was a part of Oklahoma's NCAA record 47-game winning streak and also helped the Sooners win three consecutive, unbeaten Big 7 Conference titles.

Thomas totaled 2,156 rushing yards in his three seasons – never averaging less than 6.3 yards per attempt – and the two-time All-Big 7 performer led the nation in scoring in 1956.

He was a second round pick in the 1958 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams as a defensive back and he played 11 seasons in the league for the Rams and the Steelers. He was a 1963 Pro Bowl selection and a three-time Second Team All-Pro selection.

After his career, Thomas was the founding president of the Putnam City Schools Foundation and served on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes' national board of directors. He has also served on the selection committee for Armed Services Academies and as an executive board member of the Jim Thorpe Association.

Thomas, who was enlisted in the Army Reserves for six years, founded and operated Chemical Products Corp. for 25 years. He is still involved in his business and he and his wife, Soni, live in Oklahoma City. They have two children.