Professional Football Player. For eleven seasons (1966 to 1976), he played at the middle-linebacker position in the National Football League with the Atlanta Falcons. Born Thomas Henry Nobis, Jr., he made his initial mark on the gridiron during his years at Thomas Jefferson High School in Texas. He enrolled at the University of Texas and during his years with the Longhorns, he experienced a national championship in 1963. Additionally, he achieved All-American honors in 1964 and 1965, and was recipient of the Outland Trophy as the Nation's Outstanding Interior Lineman, in addition to receiving the Maxwell Award. In 1965, he finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Selected by the Falcons as the number one overall pick during the 1966 NFL Draft, Nobis was a member of Atlanta's inaugural roster. He distinguished himself immediately as the NFL Rookie of the Year (1966). In 133 career regular season games, he compiled 12 interceptions for 182 yards with 2 touchdowns. During the course of his career, he received Pro-Bowl honors five-times and First Team All-Pro recognition once. He is a member of the NFL's 1960's All-Decade Team and was named to Sports Illustrated's All-Century Team. After retiring as a player, he remained with the Atlanta Falcons' organization as served at different capacities. Nobis became involved with charitable causes, notably persons with disabilities and he established Nobis Works which supports and trains disabled people. He received the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Award for his work with the Georgia Special Olympics and was named NFL Man of the Year. In 1976, he was named to the University of Texas Men's Hall of Honor. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1981 and was enshrined in the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1983. In 2004, he was added to the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor. His number 60 jersey has been retired by both the University of Texas Longhorns and Atlanta Falcons. In his later years, he battled illness related to head trauma which he suffered from during his playing career.