Sacks in a season
With 20 sacks in 1990 at age 23, Derrick Thomas became the youngest player to crack the top 10 individual sack years in NFL history:
Rank, player (age) Sacks Year
1, Michael Strahan (30) 221⁄2 2001
2, Mark Gastineau (28) 22 1984
3, Reggie White* (26) 21 1987
Chris Doleman (28) 21 1989
5, Lawrence Taylor* (27) 201⁄2 1986
6, Derrick Thomas* (23) 20 1990
DeMarcus Ware (26) 20 2008
8, Tim Harris (25) 191⁄2 1989
9, Clyde Simmons (28) 19 1992
Bruce Smith (27) 19 1990
Mark Gastineau (27) 19 1983
* Hall of Famer
Sacks in a game
Derrick Thomas has two of the top four sack performances in a game in NFL history:
No. Player Game
7 Derrick Thomas Kansas City vs. Seattle, Nov. 11, 1990
Fred Dean San Francisco vs. New Orleans, Nov. 13
6 Derrick Thomas Kansas City vs. Oakland, Sept. 6, 1998
Osi Umenyiora N.Y. Giants vs. Philadelphia, Sept. 30, 2007
5.5 William Gay Detroit vs. Tampa Bay, Sept. 4, 1983
Chief Thomas
Derrick Thomas’ year-by-year sack totals with the Kansas City Chiefs:
1989: 10
1990: 20
1991: 131⁄2
1992: 141⁄2
1993: 8
1994: 11
1995: 8
1996: 13
1997: 91⁄2
1998: 12
1999: 7
Total: 1261⁄2
Canton Repository
