Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1092898
of his three Pro Bowl seasons, 1975, '76
and '77. But Harris excelled far beyond
most expectations, running into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame with four Super
Bowl rings in his 13 years in the NFL.
Cappelletti (1974-83), Matt Suhey
(1980-89), Mike Guman (1980-88) and
Warner (1983-90) added to Penn State's
luster as a wellspring for NFL running
backs. Then came the downfall of Dozier
and Thomas. Their names will be forever
linked together in Penn State football his-
tory, primarily because of the Nittany
Lions' 1986 national championship sea-
son when the senior Dozier was the star
running back and the sophomore Thomas
a clutch backup and kick returner. In 1987,
Dozier was the :rst-round choice of Min-
nesota and the 14h player selected that
year. Three years later, a>er sitting out his
true senior season because of an injury,
Thomas was the second player chosen in
the NFL Dra>, picked by the New York
Jets a>er Indianapolis chose Illinois quar-
terback Je< George.
Nowadays, Thomas is perceived as one
of the all-time NFL Dra> busts, while
Dozier's stumble is hardly remembered
except by longtime fans of the Vikings
and Nittany Lions and a few people in the
media. A major reason for that disparity
is the nationwide in;uence of the New
York metropolitan area and especially its
self-important media – where everything
that happens in the Big Apple is magni-
:ed tenfold compared to the hinterlands
of Minneapolis and Pittsburgh.
For more than two decades, the media
covering the Jets criticized Thomas as the
biggest bust in the history of the fran-
chise. He is now relegated to second place
a>er the washout of the Jets' :rst choice
in the 2008 dra>, Ohio State defensive
end Vernon Gholston.
What really galls the franchise's fandom
and their media is the Emmitt Smith
hindsight factor. Dallas dra>ed Smith as
the 17th overall selection, and he went on
to enjoy a 15-year Hall of Fame career.
Furthermore, the Jets' crosstown rivals,
the Giants, chose Iowa's Rodney Hamp-
ton in the 24th position, and his eight-
year career included :ve 1,000-yard
seasons and two Pro Bowls.
Thomas lasted six nondescript years,
four with the Jets in which he posted a
total of 2,009 yards rushing and :ve
touchdowns. He started in 30 of 64 games
and sat out seven games in 1992 because
of injuries. A New York Times article be-
fore his last Jets season of 1993 described
"nagging injuries" but also implied that
the o