Induction Video(Written: June 2015)Thomas Newberry was a two-time NAIA All-America First Team selection in 1984 and 1985 for the football team, serving as team captain of the national championship squad in 1985. He was an all-conference first team selection in 1984 and 1985 after receiving second team recognition in 1983.
A second-round selection (50th overall pick) by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1986 National Football League Draft, Newberry played 10 years in the league (nine with the Los Angeles Rams, one with the Pittsburgh Steelers). He was a Pro Bowl selection in 1988 and 1989, and a starter for the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX. Newberry is the highest player ever drafted in conference history.
His achievements included winning four national titles in track & field. Newberry captured the NCAA Division III outdoor crown in the shot put in 1984 and 1985, and discus in 1985, while also winning the NAIA indoor shot put crown in 1985. He earned seven All-America honors in track & field and won 10 conference titles (three indoor; seven outdoor).
Newberry was inducted into the NAIA District 14 Hall of Fame in 1994 and UW-La Crosse’s Wall of Fame in 1997. In 2012, he was selected to the WIAC Football and Men’s Track & Field All-Time Teams in conjunction with the conference’s Centennial Celebration.
Newberry earned a bachelor’s degree in geography and resides in Gallatin Gateway, Mont.