Demaryius Thomas, Super Bowl 50 champion who died in 2021, elected into Broncos Ring of Honor
Thomas played parts of 10 seasons with the Broncos and earned all five of his Pro Bowl berths while playing in Denver. His induction into the Ring of Fame comes in his first year of eligibility.
Thomas died on Dec. 9, 2021 due to complications from a seizure disorder. Researchers at Boston University posthumously diagnosed Thomas with stage 2 Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma.
The ultimate Bronco.
Demaryius Thomas has been selected to the #BroncosROF!#LLDT 🧡 pic.twitter.com/FztWJSWkFT
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) May 27, 2025
Thomas will be officially inducted into the Ring of Fame in Week 7 as the Broncos host the New York Giants. The ceremony will coincide with a celebration of the 10th anniversary of Denver's Super Bowl 50 victory over the Carolina Panthers, a fitting bit of symmetry for a player who played a significant role in the group's success.
Advertisement
'Demaryius Thomas' election to the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame — in his first year of eligibility — is a testament to the indelible mark he left on our organization and community,' Broncos owners Greg Penner and Carrie Walton Penner said in a statement. 'One of the most beloved players and greatest wide receivers in franchise history, Demaryius inspired our fans with breathtaking athleticism, record-setting performances and a joyful, infectious spirit. While we wish 'D.T.' was with us to celebrate this special moment, we look forward to honoring Demaryius alongside his Super Bowl 50 teammates during an unforgettable Alumni Weekend.'
Thomas, a first-round pick by the Broncos out of Georgia Tech in 2010, is No. 2 on the Broncos' all-time list in receiving yards (9,055) and touchdown receptions (60), behind only Rod Smith. He is third in receptions (665) behind Smith and Shannon Sharpe.
During the four seasons Thomas played with Peyton Manning in Denver (2012-15), he was second in the NFL in receptions (402) and receiving yards (5,787) and third in receiving touchdowns (41). He helped Manning and the Broncos produce the most prolific offense in NFL history in 2013, when Denver scored 606 points.
'He was a big reason why I came out here to play,' Manning, who created a scholarship in the receiver's honor, said shortly after Thomas' death.
His most iconic play, though, came the season before Manning arrived as a free agent. In a 2011 AFC wild-card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Thomas caught a slant from Tim Tebow on the first play of overtime and ran away from the Steelers' defense for an 80-yard, game-winning touchdown, his sprint to the end zone accompanied by the thunderous roar of Denver's home crowd.
'For Demaryius and our family, this is a dream come true,' Katina Smith, Thomas' mother, said in a statement. 'Like I told Mr. Greg Penner, one of the things D.T. always said was he didn't want to be forgotten when he was finished with the game. It wasn't just about football for him but how he wanted to be remembered as a person. This will make Demaryius' dream come true to be part of the prestigious Denver Broncos Ring of Fame. It's definitely going to be emotional and I'm honored to represent him. I know D.T. is smiling in heaven with this exciting news that came out today.'
Advertisement
Thomas' tragic death came as a shock to the football world. He was less than three weeks shy of his 34th birthday and only one year into retirement. A handful of his former teammates, including wide receiver Courtland Sutton, were still on Denver's roster at the time of his death. They played with heavy hearts just days after his death, beating the Detroit Lions while paying tribute to Thomas by putting only 10 players on the field for the game's first play.
Fittingly, Sutton, who joined the Broncos during Thomas' last season in Denver, was the player who then lined up in Thomas' outside receiver spot after the opening play.
'(Sutton) was instantly a little brother, and DT said, 'I'm going to help you become a better player.' That was the person,' Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was the team's head coach during two of Thomas' seasons in Denver, said in 2023.
'I always say about players that sometimes the player and the person are separate. His person was so, so special, and it's really rare where you have the player and the person who are both that special, and he was that guy.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Phillies' Nick Castellanos out of Saturday's lineup vs. Yankees with left knee injury
Both the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees will be without their regular right fielders for Saturday's matchup at Yankee Stadium. Aaron Judge is out of the Yankees' lineup with a right elbow injury that's made it difficult for him to throw from the outfield. The team is currently waiting for imaging results. And while it doesn't appear to be as potentially serious, Nick Castellanos will sit out Saturday's game due to a left knee injury suffered in Friday's 12-5 win over the Yankees. Castellanos jammed his left knee while running toward the right field wall to make the final out, according to Phillies manager Rob Thomson. The Phillies' right fielder batted 2-for-5 in the Phillies' win and is hitting .270/.311/.434 with 23 doubles, 13 home runs and 56 RBI. He's third among Philadelphia's regulars in homers and second in RBI.
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Pirates Preview: Andrew Heaney Makes Last Start Before Trade Deadline
This article originally appeared on The Pittsburgh Pirates were shut out 1-0 by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 11 innings on Friday night at PNC Park. Rookie starter Mike Burrows had the best outing of his young career, but the Bucs only recorded one hit in another futile night for the bats. The Pirates (42-62) will look for better results on Saturday night against the Diamondbacks (51-53) in what could be Andrew Heaney's last start with the team. Click here to read more from Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Yahoo
15 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How you can cope — or help others — when disasters strike
At least 135 people, including 37 children, died in the Texas floods over the July 4 holiday weekend. All told, the US sustained 403 weather and climate disasters from 1980–2024, where overall damages and costs reached or exceeded $1 billion. And in the first half of 2025, we experienced 15 separate billion-dollar weather disasters, including tornadoes, hail, wind, and flash flooding from severe thunderstorms. Learn more: How much does flood insurance cost in every state? Earl Johnson wrote a new book about how to cope when those disasters hit home: Finding Comfort During Hard Times: A Guide to Healing after Disaster, Violence, and Other Community Trauma. At the American Red Cross national headquarters, Johnson's responsibilities included preparedness and response to every domestic mass fatality incident since the weeks after 9/11, including transportation incidents, natural disasters, and criminal acts. Here are edited excerpts of our conversation: Kerry Hannon: What was the experience of aiding in a disaster that made this work become your mission? Earl Johnson: 9/11 changed everybody's lives. I moved from lower Manhattan to Arlington, Va., on Sept. 9, 2001. I was in the backyard, and I heard the plane hit the Pentagon. I had training as a hospital chaplain and it kicked in. All of my skills and everything were transferable to a disaster. Hurricane Katrina was my other seminal event. I was with the Red Cross, and we were tasked to open a thousand shelters for a thousand people each in the next 24 hours. It wasn't just a Red Cross response. It wasn't just a federal response. It was everybody, all hands on deck. And we were a team. With the Texas Hill country flooding disaster on our minds, what's the best action for someone to take if you want to give, but you can't be there in person? The temptation for many people is to drop everything and go help the victims. And that's the wrong thing to do unless you have specialized training and also an invitation to go with an official group. The best thing you can do, if you can afford it, is to contribute — give money, but don't give stuff. A lot of times that will just inundate a community. The best thing is to stay, pray, and pay. If you have a specific charity, great. Many people contribute to a faith-based charity or the American Red Cross or Salvation Army. Donations do make a difference, and you are doing something. Sign up for the Mind Your Money weekly newsletter By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Is this something that you recommend for those who might be retired and have time to volunteer on-site? Yes. But don't wait until the disaster happens. Get your disaster training because there are unique aspects of disasters, and you need to be trained for a specific function whether it be shelter management or mass care feeding. Retirees offer a pool of expertise. How would someone get that training? Well, I'm prejudiced. I love the Red Cross. I spent 10 years responding to disasters with them. They have an excellent volunteer program and training. Why is it so important for everyone to have some sort of a disaster plan in place for their community, home, and business? We never know when there is going to be a catastrophic event. But we have to go on living, and we have to live fully and freely without that kind of anxiety. Making a disaster plan is not only good business, it's also common sense — because that's another way of not only taking care of yourself and your family, it's also taking care of your customers and your business. For example, you should have a "go bag" of things to take with you with a flashlight and solar radio, for example. Build a rainy day emergency fund. Have a disaster communications plan in case there's a blackout or the landlines go down. You write in your book about being on the alert for entrepreneurs and predators and other people coming into a community under the guise of offering help. How do we guard ourselves from being taken advantage of? It's the second wave of the disaster. Good, kindhearted people respond, but also entrepreneurs and predators who want to take advantage of the vulnerable. Do a background check. Check with a local Better Business Bureau, the police department, the Red Cross, local media, and others in your community to find out if they have heard of this group, or were aware that this group has descended upon the community and are going door-to- door offering roof repairs or whatever. A lot of people get victimized because they're already vulnerable, because the emotional and spiritual aspects of disasters are so traumatic. If you are in the disaster zone, you already are vulnerable and you want help and you want assistance. Don't sign anything until they have been checked out. What's the first thing to ask yourself before you head off to a disaster zone to lend a hand? You can't imagine how many people drop everything, get in their car with a couple bags of ice and a couple dozen sandwiches, and drive a thousand miles to help. When I am screening potential volunteers, I would always ask them why they want to respond, so stop and first ask yourself that question. Who's going to take care of your family and pets if you are gone? Do you have two to three weeks that you can donate? You also need to be willing to be managed. You can't be the big hotshot coming down to do your part. You need to take about small disasters? Unemployment can be a disaster for people. Elaborate. There are thousands of everyday disasters. There are house fires, divorce, homelessness, mental health issues, and yes, unemployment. Nothing is more violent and traumatic than unemployment. One day your identity as your job or your vocation that you've contributed so much to is gone. You need to start with considering what gives you hope. What is your source of hope and meaning? Make a fearless personal assessment of your strengths and weaknesses. Take that personal inventory, especially because you're devastated when you lose your job. You have to say, wait a minute, I was employed. I have skills, I have learning, and it does have value, and I have made a difference. Talk to people and go deeper and ask them what are the good things they notice about you? What are the things they see that you do well? What's your biggest takeaway from the book for readers? Comfort is essential. Preparedness is caring and taking care of one another. It is a huge gift not only to come in and help people to rebuild their home, but also to be a good neighbor and to be a good listener. You may not have physical things that people need, but you have a good ear, and you can support one another. Disasters are not only physical. They're also emotional and spiritual. For more information on how you can help, check out the Red Cross and FEMA sites. Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming "Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future," "In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work," and "Never Too Old to Get Rich." Follow her on Bluesky. Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter Sign in to access your portfolio
