Derrick Thomas entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the enshrinement ceremony on Aug. 8, 2009. On Thursday night, his Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence will finally be presented.

The presentation will take place in a ceremony before the Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs AFC West game, which kicks off at 7:15 p.m. CDT Thursday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

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The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the presentation plan on Monday.

Thomas died on Feb. 8, 2000, after being injured in a traffic accident.

Thomas will be represented at the ceremony by Clark Hunt, the chairman and CEO of the Chiefs; Betty Brown, the president of Thomas’ Third & Long Foundation; and former teammate and current officer for the Third & Long Foundation Neil Smith.

Thomas’ Ring of Excellence will be displayed in the Chiefs Hall of Honor with other items from his 11 seasons with the team.

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When Thomas was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, rings and gold jackets were not presented to inductees who were enshrined posthumously.

That policy changed in November, and the Hall of Fame has been presenting the items to past posthumous inductees this year, including another former Alabama star. A presentation ceremony was held for quarterback Ken Stabler on Sept. 24 before the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also on the list for rings are Henry Jordan, Vince Lombardi, Sam Mills and Reggie White.

Thomas’ Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence is customized with a likeness of his Hall of Fame bronzed bust. One side has “Linebacker” and “1989-1999″ (his years in the NFL) on it, and “Thomas,” the Pro Football Hall of Fame logo and “Class of 2009″ are on the other. Etched on the inside is 251, which is Thomas’ enshrinee number.

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After a College Football Hall of Fame career at Alabama, Thomas joined Kansas City as the fourth selection in the 1989 NFL Draft.

Thomas was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and a first-team All-Pro in 1990 and 1991. Thomas led the league with 20 sacks in 1990 and set an NFL single-game record with seven sacks against the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 11, 1990. With 126.5, Thomas ranks 17th on the NFL’s career sacks list.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.