It was a big weekend for former Wisconsin Badgers in the NFL. Two of the program’s recently retired legends were honored by their franchises at halftime of Sunday’s games — first defensive end J.J. Watt by the Houston Texans, and now offensive tackle Joe Thomas by the Cleveland Browns.
Thomas retired from the NFL after the 2017 season. He did so as arguably one of the greatest tackles in the sport’s history. His 11-year career included 10 Pro Bowls, six First-Team All-Pro honors and an NFL record streak of 10,363 consecutive snaps
After being inducted into the NFL Hall Of Fame a few months ago, the former Badger was back in Cleveland on Sunday to be inducted into the Browns’ Ring Of Honor:
.@joethomas73's legacy will forever be immortalized in Browns history! pic.twitter.com/AXnatPgDcy
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 3, 2023
What an unbelievably special weekend for me and my family 🥰
I’m on the plane reliving how honored I felt being able to run out of the tunnel one more time; and being able to share it with the next generation
Thanks Cleveland for making me feel loved and respected✊🥹… pic.twitter.com/i4A3vMGhzY
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) October 3, 2023