His mama called him Alonzo; you could call him "Skip" or "Dr. Death." Whatever name you choose, No. 26 in silver and black was called on to make plays for the Raiders — and he so did during his six seasons with the team.
Alonzo Thomas III was part of the legendary "Soul Patrol," a cultural phenomenon of the 1970s that was equal parts skilled, feared and respected and remains one of the greatest defensive backfields ever assembled.
He was joined in that back-end quartet by Pro Football Hall of Famer Willie Brown and two of the hardest-hitting safeties the game has ever known: George Atkinson and Jack Tatum.
Let's zero in on a moment that took place on the largest stage in sports, during Super Bowl XI at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The game was in the fourth quarter with the Raiders maintaining a 26-7 advantage. On 3rd-and-7 from the Minnesota 25-yard line, Vikings quarterback Fran Tarkenton lofted a pass over the middle to wide receiver Sammy White, who was covered by Thomas.
The DBAs for "Dr. Death" and Tatum, AKA, "The Assassin," figuratively lived up to their billing when the Raiders cornerback and safety combined to put a crushing hit on White, with his helmet ejecting one way, seemingly his head going the other but miraculously he held onto the ball for a 14-yard gain.
Venerable play-by-play announcer Curt Gowdy and analyst Don Meredith called the game for NBC. "I don't know how he held onto that, Sammy White, but he did. A remarkable catch," Gowdy told the 62 million viewers of one of the most-watched television broadcasts. Meredith continued: "26 goes wham, Skip Thomas wham, 32 Tatum, off goes the headgear."