Derrick Thomas, the ferocious pass rusher and cornerstone of the Chiefs’ teams of the 1990s, was elected today to the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played during 1989-99 and died from injuries sustained in a January 2000 auto accident, was elected in his fifth year of eligibility.

Induction will be on Aug. 8. Thomas will join eight others enshrined in Canton, Ohio, as members of the Chiefs — quarterback Len Dawson, defensive tackle Buck Buchanan, linebackers Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier, cornerback Emmitt Thomas, kicker Jan Stenerud as well as owner Lamar Hunt and coach Hank Stram.

He helped define the art of the sack and strip of the quarterback. Thomas had 126 1/2 sacks, which ranked ninth in NFL history at the time of his death. He set the NFL single-game record with seven sacks against Seattle in 1990; and he nearly matched it, recording six sacks against Oakland in 1998, giving him two of the top three sack days in league history.