Position: Guard
Years: 1955-1957
Place of Birth: Muskogee, OK
Date of Birth: Apr 06, 1934
Date of Death: Feb 5, 2021
Jersey Number: 64
Height: 6-1
Weight: 202
High School: Columbus, OH (West HS)
On offense played in the line as a blocker. On defense he was a middle guard, sometimes a linebacker. He wasn't big. Only 202 pounds. But Ohio State's Aurealius Thomas played big enough to earn First Team All-America honors at guard in 1957. He compensated for his lack of size with his tremendous technique as a blocker and mobility as a tackler, enabling him to frequently out-maneuver bigger opponents.
In his senior year, 1957, he logged 463 minutes at guard, and he averaged 52 minutes a game in playing time. The Buckeyes rebounded from an opening-game 14-18 loss to TCU that season, going undefeated for the remainder of their campaign. The team finished at 9-1 with a win in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, giving future Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes his second of five national titles. Ohio State went 22-6 during Thomas' career and captured two Big Ten Championships.
Thomas was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he did not play in the NFL, instead becoming a coach and teacher. He coached at East High School in Columbus for six years, and his last team in 1964 had a 9-0 record, earning him Central Ohio Coach of the Year honors. He also taught science and physical education in the Columbus Public Schools system for 20 years. After coaching, he started a career in insurance, working for 16 years with New York Life Insurance before launching his own insurance brokerage in Columbus, Ohio.
Thomas' list community service includes: past president, Columbus Recreation Board; adviser, Small Business Group for Southern Ohio; trustee, Ohio State Varsity "0" Alumni Association; trustee, Ohio State University Student Loan Foundation; president, Columbus Leadership Conference; volunteer agent, United Negro College Fund.
He was inducted into the Ohio State Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. Thomas was also the recipient of numerous community awards and honors, including the Black History Award for exemplifying his works of "Life Against the Odds" and in 1990 earned the Special Recognition Award by the Columbus Area Chapter of Blacks in Government (BIG).
Thomas passed away on Feb. 5, 2021. The Columbus native was 86-years-old.
