Chicago Bears Countdown to Kickoff: 16 Days with Bob Thomas
By Peter Jurich
Bob Thomas leaves Chicago Bears, retirement, and career as a Judge
Unfortunately, the season would also be Thomas's final with the Chicago Bears as he signed a deal with the San Diego Chargers for the 1985 season. Nonetheless, the kicker had a solid individual season and went 92.7% on a lead league 57 PATs. Following the year, Thomas signed with the New York Giants, but he made only one appearance during the season.
Following his stint with the Giants, Thomas retired from the NFL following a 12-year career that saw him serve as the Chicago Bears starting kicker for nine seasons. With the team, he scored 640 points, strong enough for the fourth most in team history, behind only Robbie Gould, Kevin Butler, and Walter Payton.
However, while the end of Thomas's playing career was appropriately celebrated for its place in history, perhaps most notably by an induction into the Academic All-America Hall of Fame, he quickly worked into his second career as a lawyer. To begin his career, Thomas spent several years in civil litigation. In 1988, he was elected as a district Circuit Court Judge in the state of Illinois before becoming an Appellate Court Judge in 1994.
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In 2000, the former Chicago Bear was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court, where he served until 2020. Currently, Thomas is retired, again, but he was able to accomplish one of the rarest feats for a professional athlete, to have an equally successful, if not more, career after their sport. Thomas is one of the best examples of such a case, and while he served as the team's kicker for a decade, he will most likely be better remembered by the area for his work as a judge.