Aurealius Thomas, a 1989 College Football Hall of Fame inductee who played at Ohio State from 1955-57, passed away on Feb. 5. The Columbus native was 86-years-old.
 
"We are extremely saddened to learn of the passing of Aueralius Thomas," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "A true iron man, Thomas played a key role in the Buckeyes claiming the 1957 national championship under Hall of Fame coach Woody Hayes. He later became a stalwart in the Columbus community. His accomplishments are forever immortalized at the Hall in Atlanta, but our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this time of loss."
 
On offense he 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).
 
Born April 6, 1934, Thomas is survived by his former wife, Nancy; a daughter, Leah Marshall; sons Marcus Thomas and Scott Thomas; and seven grandchildren and a host of great grandchildren, nieces, nephews and friends.