Former Vikings Safety Orlando Thomas Passes Away

One-time Vikings safety Orlando Thomas has passed away at age 42 after battling ALS, confirms Thomas’ agent (per Adam Schefter).

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Thomas was drafted by the Vikings in the second round in 1995 out of Southwestern Louisiana. The rookie Thomas had a huge season, leading the league with 9 interceptions and making his one and only Pro Bowl.

Thomas would never have another year like his rookie season, but he would go on to have a solid career with the Vikings, playing in Minnesota until 2001.

Among Thomas’ memorable moments with the Vikings was this interception of Brett Favre in 1998 (assist to Jerry Ball for the pressure on Favre).

Thomas retired after the 2001 season with 457 tackles, 22 INTs and 2 TDs. He was a big part of two Vikings teams that made runs to the NFC championship game (only to miss out on a chance at Super Bowl glory).

Thomas announced in 2007 that he was suffering from ALS. His agent said in a statement (via ESPN):

"“Nobody’s ever fought a battle like Orlando fought, with so much dignity — I never saw anything like it,” Bartelstein said Monday morning. “It’s just incredible. He never had a sense of self pity, never felt sorry for himself, he was always worried about everyone else. He was just the most incredible person I’ve ever been around.”"