During his tenure at Alabama, Thomas amassed a record of 115–24–7 and won four Southeastern Conference titles while his teams allowed an average of just 6.3 points per game.

[2] Thomas's 1934 Alabama team completed a 10–0 season with a victory over Stanford in the Rose Bowl and was named national champion by a number of selectors.

After spending two years at Western State (MI), Thomas transferred to Notre Dame and played quarterback for coach Knute Rockne from 1920 to 1922.

Other notable players included Don Hutson, Vaughn Mancha, Harry Gilmer, Johnny Cain, and Riley Smith.

The football practice fields at the University of Alabama are named for Thomas and his successor, Harold Drew.