Eliza and Hugh Culverhouse Jr. Establish Scholarship at UA in Memory of Derrick Thomas

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ‚ Eliza and Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. of Miami have announced plans to establish an endowed scholarship fund at The University of Alabama in honor of former NFL and Crimson Tide football star Derrick Thomas, who died Feb. 8.

Mr. and Mrs. Culverhouse have made an initial gift to kick off the fund, which is expected to grow with gifts from additional donors. The scholarship will benefit students who are committed to community service

“The accomplishments of this young man, Derrick Thomas, both on and off the field, are an inspiration to us all. We are pleased to honor his memory through the establishment of this scholarship. We hope that this fund will serve both to memorialize his name and to encourage others to follow in his footsteps,” Culverhouse said.

“We are extremely grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Culverhouse for making this generous gift in memory of a student-athlete who meant so much to The University of Alabama and to friends and fans of the University around the world,” said UA President Andrew Sorensen.

“By assisting students who, like Derrick Thomas, are truly concerned about the needs of others, this scholarship fund will help keep Thomas’s dreams alive,” Sorensen said.

An outside linebacker for the Crimson Tide from 1985-88, Thomas was a unanimous All-American in 1988 when he won the Butkus Trophy, CBS’ Defensive Player of the Year and the Washington Pigskin Club’s Defensive Player of the Year. He served as defensive captain of the 1988 team, and was named to the All-Decade Team for the Southeastern Conference for the 1980s and to The University of Alabama’s All-Century Team.

Thomas began his professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs as NFL Rookie of the Year in 1989. A nine-time Pro Bowl player, Thomas holds the NFL one-game record of seven sacks and ranks ninth on the career list.

Off the field, Thomas was known for his community service work, including funding literacy programs for inner-city children, reading to children through local libraries, raising funds to feed the hungry and spending time with ill and hospitalized children.

For more information or to contribute to the Derrick Thomas Endowed Scholarship Fund, contact The University of Alabama Office of University Advancement at Box 870122, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 or call 205/348-4767.

Contact

Cathy Andreen, Director of Media Relations, 205/348-8322