Illinois Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas announced today via press release he is retiring from the Illinois Supreme Court effective Feb. 29.

Prior to serving as a Justice, Thomas spent 12 years in the NFL as kicker. He played for the Bears from 1975-82, and from 1983-84 after spending a season in Detroit.

New from @capitolfax: Supreme Court Justice Bob Thomas to retire and join law firm that represented him in defamation case https://t.co/LFhW7Hti5w — Ryan Keith (@rkprsolutions) February 10, 2020

“It has been a great honor and privilege to have served on the Illinois Supreme Court as well as on the appellate and circuit courts over the past 32 years,” Thomas said in a statement in the Chicago Tribune. “While I will miss the collegial atmosphere with my colleagues on the court, I am ready to return to the practice of law and help clients achieve justice.”

Thomas, 67, will join Chicago law firm Power Rogers. Joe Power, a co-founder of the firm, represented Thomas in a defamation case against a newspaper in 2006.

Before he played for the Bears, Thomas played for the University of Notre Dame, where he started for three years. He was a member of the Notre Dame national championship team in 1973. He received his law degree from Loyola University School of Law.

During the 1977 NFL season, Thomas kicked the 28-yard overtime field goal that sent the Bears to the postseason for the first time in 14 years.

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