RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day Six: Thurman Thomas puts the country on notice (1985)
The legacy of running the rock is strong in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
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Welcome to day six of Running Back Respect Month! Yesterday, we had a therapy session for Texas fans about Oklahoma RB Quentin Griffin. Here's where we're at today, and how the rest of the month looks:
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Today: Thurman Thomas vs. Washington (1985)
RB Respect Month Vol. 3, Day Six: Thurman Thomas vs. Washington (1985)
The most disrespectful thing I did over the first two editions of RB Respect Month was leave out Oklahoma State. For as strong a reputation as the Cowboys have as a receiver factory, their history at running back is even richer. They've got an all-time top-two that can compete with anyone in the legendary Barry Sanders and Thurman Thomas. After that, program stalwarts like Kendall Hunter, Terry Miller, and David Thompson all ran for 4,000+ career yards in Stillwater. More recently, Chuba Hubbard and Ollie Gordon each had top-ten Heisman finishes. Then you have standouts like Justice Hill, Tatum Bell and Joseph Randle. All three eclipsed 3,000 career yards and have/had NFL careers. As a child of the 1990s/2000s Big 12, it'd go against everything I stand for to not give a shoutout to Vernand Morency, too:
Oklahoma State's Vernand Morency makes the whole Texas defense miss (2004) pic.twitter.com/NxUvcLSXBL
— 2StripesCPD (@2StripesCPD) January 16, 2026
Simply put, Oklahoma State values running the rock. I goofed not including them in either of the first two RB Respect Months, and I apologize to Cowboys fans. Today, I rectify that mistake. Let's travel back in time 41 years –the oldest game we'll cover this month– to when No. 16 Oklahoma State played at No. 12 Washington in their 1985 season opener.
Both teams were fresh off highly successful seasons, so this game had some added electricity beyond two ranked teams playing in week one. Washington went 11-1 in 1984, beating Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl to finish No. 2 in the final AP Poll - which is still tied for their highest final ranking in school history. Meanwhile, Oklahoma State took Head Coach Jimmy Johnson's depature to Miami in stride. The Cowboys went 10-2, capping the year with a Gator Bowl win against South Carolina. Their No. 7 finish was the program's highest since finishing fifth in 1945! Freshman RB Thurman Thomas earned MVP honors, running for 155 yards and a TD, while also throwing a six-yard score.
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Thomas was highly recruited out of Missouri City, Texas, and his bowl performance was the cherry on top of a spectacular freshman season. As silly as it sounds to us now, running for 855 yards (including the bowl game) as a freshman was a huge deal back then! He was the only Big 8 back –regardless of classification– to run for 200+ yards that season (206 vs. Kansas State). Needless to say, expectations were high for Thomas heading into 1985. He demolished them against the Huskies, starting the season with 237 yards and a TD in the Cowboys' 31-17 win:
Oh, and before I forget - he also repeated his Gator Bowl antics by throwing a TD in this one, too:
