Thomas Cyril Mason (July 8, 1939 – January 22, 2015) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL).

College career

Mason played college football for

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

. *1959: 10 Games – 81 carries for 336 yards. 5 catches for 54 yards and 2 TD. *1960: 10 Games – 120 carries for 663 yards. 28 catches for 376 yards and 5 TD.

Professional career

Mason was selected first overall by the expansion

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

in the

1961 NFL Draft The 1961 National Football League draft took place at the Warwick Hotel in Philadelphia on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise. This draft was also the first reg ...

. In six seasons with the Vikings, he rushed for 3,252 yards and scored 28 touchdowns. In 1967 NFL season, he was signed by the Los Angeles Rams. He played with the Rams for four years, but accumulated only four touchdowns and less than 900 yards. He finished his career with the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...

in 1971. He did not officially announce his retirement until June 8, 1973.

Records

Mason ranks ninth in total rushing yards and ninth in rushing touchdowns for the Minnesota Vikings.

Personal life

Mason was married to Rita Ridinger in the mid 1960s. He married gymnast Cathy Rigby in 1972. They were divorced in 1981. Mason married Louise England in 1987, they divorced in 1994. He married Karen Kay Mason, in 1999. He was a 1976 graduate of the Western State College of Law. He died in hospice care at Newport Beach, California on January 22, 2015.Notice of death of Tommy Mason
startribune.com; accessed January 26, 2015.

References

External links

pro-football-reference.com; accessed January 26, 2015. 1939 births 2015 deaths American football running backs Los Angeles Rams players Minnesota Vikings players National Football League announcers National Football League first-overall draft picks Sportspeople from Lake Charles, Louisiana Players of American football from Louisiana San Diego Chargers announcers Tulane Green Wave football players Washington Redskins players Western Conference Pro Bowl players {{runningback-1930s-stub