Jim Thomas (offensive lineman)

James F. Thomas (May 6, 1917 – June 4, 1981) was an American professional football guard.

Jim Thomas

Thomas in 1938
No. 41
Position	Guard
Personal information
Born	(1917-05-06)May 6, 1917 Oilton, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	June 1, 1981(1981-06-01) (aged 64) Florence, South Carolina, U.S.
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school	Oilton (OK)
College	Oklahoma
NFL draft	1939: 12th round, 102nd overall pick
Career history
Chicago Cardinals (1939–1940)
Awards and highlights
Second-team All-Big Six (1938)
Career NFL statistics
Games played 13 Games started 1 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Thomas was born in 1917 at Oilton, Oklahoma. He attended Oilton High School.^[1]

Thomas attended the University of Oklahoma and played for the Oklahoma Sooners football team from 1935 to 1938.^[1] He was a member of the 1938 Oklahoma Sooners football team that compiled a 10–1 record and was ranked No. 4 in the final Associated Press poll. He was known as "Singer" Thomas at Oklahoma because of his constant singing in the shower room.^[2]

He was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals with the 102nd pick in the 1939 NFL draft.^[3] He appeared in 13 games for the Cardinals during the 1939 and 1940 seasons.^[4]

Thomas was also an opera singer who sang with the Metropolitan Opera for a year. He served in the Army during World War II, attaining the rank of lieutenant and serving in the field artillery under General George Patton. He was a school teacher in Florence, South Carolina, starting in 1966. He died of an apparent heart attack in 1981 in Florence.^[5]