RICHMOND, Ky. – Former Eastern Kentucky University running back Markus Thomas has been named as a candidate for the College Football Hall of Fame as announced on Monday by the National Football Foundation.
"For more than 65 years, the NFF College Football Hall of Fame has stood as the sport's ultimate archive, honoring those whose impact on the game still echoes today," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "This year's ballot carries forward that responsibility, spotlighting individuals who not only excelled on the field but also helped define what college football means to so many."
Thomas played at EKU from 1989-1992, earning All-American honors his senior season after running for 1,494 yards and scoring 17 rushing touchdowns. His 322 career points are a league record and his 108 points in 1992 rank eighth all-time.
The two-time Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year (1991 & 1992), finished his career ranked third all-time in FCS history in rushing yards (5,149). He led Eastern Kentucky to two conference titles (1990 & 1991) while scoring 52 career rushing touchdowns.
Thomas is still the all-time leading career rusher in EKU and OVC history and holds the conference record with a career rushing average of 6.57 yards per carry. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was inducted into the Eastern Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
The 12-time OVC Player of the Week went on to play professionally for the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL, Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe and the Hamilton TigerCats of the Canadian Football League.
The 2026 Ballot under consideration for induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, including 79 players and nine coaches from the Football Bowl Subdivision and 100 players and 35 coaches from the divisional ranks.
The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will be officially inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Hotel & Casino, and they will be honored at their respective schools with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments, during the 2026 season.
Of the 5.78 million individuals who have played college football since Princeton first battled Rutgers on Nov. 6, 1869, only 1,111 players have earned induction into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, or less than two one-hundredths of a percent (.02%) of those who have played the game during the past 155 seasons. From the coaching ranks, 237 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction.
