Skip Thomas

Article summary

Alonzo "Skip" Thomas III (February 7, 1950 – July 24, 2011), nicknamed "Dr. Death", was an American professional football player. A cornerback, Thomas played college football at Arizona Western Junior College before transferring to the University of Southern California. After college, he spent six seasons with the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) before retiring from football. Thomas was a part of the Raiders' Super Bowl XI winning team, and a notable figure in the "Soul Patrol" defensive secondary of the 1970s. Alongside cornerback Willie Brown and safeties Jack Tatum and George Atkinson, the quartet were known for their physicality. Thomas' harsh style on the field is well documented, though he is remembered as the most subdued of the four.

Key claims

1. date of birth: 1950-02-07 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of death: 2011-07-24 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of birth is "1950-02-07". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of death is "2011-07-24". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
5. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

No sources recorded.