From an early age, it was clear there wouldn’t be a moment too big or intimidating for Bob Thomas ’74. 

As Notre Dame’s kicker, he calmly booted the winning field goal in the 1973 Sugar Bowl, giving the Irish a 24-23 victory over Alabama that clinched the national championship. Over the next decade with the Chicago Bears, he kicked 151 field goals.

In a 1977 game against the New York Giants, Thomas ran onto the field in overtime to attempt a 28-yard field goal as time expired, hoping to put the Bears ahead and clinch the team’s first playoff appearance in 14 years. The field was covered in a thin layer of ice that would occasionally break, and the game became known as the Slush Bowl. Thomas managed to come through when it mattered most.

While with the Bears, Thomas took night and off-season classes at Chicago’s Loyola University to earn his law degree. He was elected Circuit Court judge in DuPage County in 1988, then rose to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1994. In 2000, he became a justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, where he served as Chief Justice from 2005-08, until his retirement in early 2020.

Justice Thomas has been awarded numerous honors in both his legal and athletic career. In April 1996, Justice Thomas was inducted into the Academic All-American Hall of Fame. In January 1999, he was awarded the prestigious NCAA Silver Anniversary Award. In 2001, he was named the DuPage County Bar Association Lawyer of the Year and in December 2005, he was honored with the Illinois Judges Association Recognition for Professionalism and Civility. 

“When you first put on the robes,â”said Thomas, “you realize that you have more responsibility than you do power.”