Joe Thomas was a former National Football League (NFL)

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

 general manager

General manager

General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...

 and also served as the head coach of the Baltimore Colts

History of the Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....

 for part of the 1974 season.

Thomas was director of player personnel for the Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...

 and the Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

 in the 1960s, staying with the latter until after the 1971 season

1971 NFL season

The 1971 NFL season was the 52nd regular season of the National Football League. The season ended with Super Bowl VI when the Dallas Cowboys defeated the Miami Dolphins...

, when he was fired by team owner Joe Robbie. Prior to the next campaign, he arranged for Robert Irsay

Robert Irsay

Robert Irsay , was an American professional football team owner. He owned the National Football League's Baltimore/Indianapolis Colts franchise and, briefly, the former Los Angeles Rams.-Biography:...

 to purchase the Los Angeles Rams

St. Louis Rams

The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...

 for $19 million before exchanging them for Carroll Rosenbloom

Carroll Rosenbloom

Carroll Rosenbloom was an American entrepreneur and former owner of two professional football teams, the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams....

's Baltimore Colts

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

 in the most bizarre transaction in NFL history. As a result of this deal, Thomas became general manager of the Colts. After a 5–9–0 finish in 1972

1972 NFL season

The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...

, the first losing record in sixteen years, Thomas began rebuilding the team, albeit controversially. It all started on January 22, 1973 when Johnny Unitas

Johnny Unitas

John Constantine Unitas , known as Johnny Unitas or "Johnny U", and nicknamed "The Golden Arm", was a professional American football player in the 1950s through the 1970s, spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Colts. He was a record-setting quarterback, and the National Football...

 was traded to the San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. During the next ten days, Tom Matte

Tom Matte

Thomas Roland Matte was an American football player who played quarterback in college and primarily running back in the NFL in the 1960s and 1970s and earned a Super Bowl Ring. He attended Shaw High School in East Cleveland and is an Eagle Scout...

 would follow Unitas to San Diego, Bill Curry

Bill Curry

William Alexander "Bill" Curry is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head coach at Georgia State University, which began competing in college football in 2010...

 was sent to the Houston Oilers

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...

, Billy Newsome

Billy Newsome

William Ray Newsome is a former American football defensive end in the NFL for the Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, and the Chicago Bears. He played college football at Grambling State University....

 to the New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

, Norm Bulaich

Norm Bulaich

Norman Batton Bulaich is a former American football running back in the National Football League.-Professional Career:...

 to the Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

 and Jerry Logan

Jerry Logan

Jerry Don Logan is a former American football player. He played as a safety for ten seasons in the NFL. He was a part of the Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V winning team....

 to the Rams. By the end of 1976, he had had five different head coaches in his five-year tenure, having fired Super Bowl V

Super Bowl V

Super Bowl V was an American football game played on January 17, 1971, at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to decide the National Football League champion following the 1970 regular season...

-winning coach Don McCafferty

Don McCafferty

Donald William McCafferty was an American football coach who, in his first year as head coach of the Baltimore Colts, led the team to a victory in Super Bowl V....

 after just five games in 1972. then following him with John Sandusky

John Sandusky

John Thomas Sandusky, Jr. was an American football offensive and defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played for the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers ....

, Howard Schnellenberger

Howard Schnellenberger

Howard Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...

. Thomas himself, and Ted Marchibroda

Ted Marchibroda

Theodore "Ted" Joseph Marchibroda is a former American football quarterback and head coach in the National Football League.-Player:...

. When he targeted Marchibroda next, despite two straight Colts playoff seasons, Irsay had had enough and fired Thomas.

Thomas then was hired as GM of the San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...

 in 1977 by new owner Eddie DeBartolo at the recommendation of Al Davis

Al Davis

Allen "Al" Davis was an American football executive. He was the principal owner of the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League from 1970 to 2011...

 and immediately fired head coach Monte Clark

Monte Clark

Monte Dale Clark was an American football player who served as head coach for two National Football League teams: the San Francisco 49ers and the Detroit Lions.-College career:...

. The 49ers went 7-23 in Thomas' two seasons with the franchise, and his biggest trade, a number 1 draft pick for O.J. Simpson, was a colossal bust, as Simpson proved to be washed up. Thomas also fired two more head coaches, Ken Meyer

Ken Meyer

Ken Meyer is a former football coach at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. He may be best remembered as the head coach of the National Football League's San Francisco 49ers in 1977....

 and Pete McCulley

Pete McCulley

Pete McCulley was the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the first nine games of the 1978 season. Winning only one game during that span, he was eventually fired and replaced with Fred O'Connor...

, and Thomas' third hire, Fred O'Connor

Fred O'Connor

Fred O'Connor is an American football coach. He has served in coaching positions in the National Football League, the Canadian Football League, and NCAA college football.-Coaching Experience:-References:...

, was fired along with Thomas at the end of the 1978 season. Fortunately for the 49ers, the new GM/head coach, Bill Walsh, targeted a quarterback in the third round named Joe Montana

Joe Montana

Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. , nicknamed Joe Cool, Golden Joe, The Golden Great and Comeback Joe, is a retired American football player. Montana started his NFL career in 1979 with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played quarterback for the next 14 seasons...

, and the two of them restored San Francisco's franchise from the lows under Thomas.