Former NFL 4-time Super Bowl champ returns to Macon elementary school

Four-time Super Bowl champion J.T. Thomas credits much of his success to fundamentals he learned in a Macon classroom.

Monday, the former Pittsburgh Steeler and 2011 Georgia Sports Hall of Fame inductee will return to St. Peter Claver Catholic School to speak at the school’s Alumni Benefit Luncheon.

Thomas refers to the nuns who taught him as “second parents and guardian angels.”

“It was their persistent intervention through daily tutoring that led to my conquering a serious speech impediment,” Thomas said in a news release for the lunch.

The defensive back and member of the Steelers’ “steel curtain” defense that won four Super Bowls in the ‘70s and ‘80s played football at Lanier High School and became the first black football player at Florida State University.

St. Peter Claver alumni from across the country will join Thomas at the school for Monday’s event, which was postponed due to Hurricane Irma.

He will be inducted into the Ward Street school’s Wall of Fame and will receive special honors from Mayor Robert Reichert during his visit.

Thomas also will be speaking at Macon’s Touchdown Club at the Methodist Home for Youth and Children at 6:15 p.m. Monday.

This story was originally published November 24, 2017 at 3:51 PM with the headline "Former NFL 4-time Super Bowl champ returns to Macon elementary school."