Through some detective work of his own, Naylor was able to track down a phone number for Thomas' mother, Edith Morgan, in Miami. The Celebration of Life was established to honor the life and charitable works of Thomas through music, entertainment and fundraising for community enrichment programs. On February 8, 2000, Derrick Thomas died from a massive blood clot that developed in his paralyzed lower extremities and traveled to his lungs. 3. 14. At this stage, he definitely deserves it. He threw on a suit, grabbed the keys and took care of the fare. He definitely had all the tools and all that qualifies you to be a Hall of Famer. "Can I say why I am happy about this piece?" "He was going to get up that morning of the game to go speak to some kids," Humphrey said. 645,161 - en.wikipedia.org, FactSnippet No. "In Search of Derrick Thomas" is narrated by, and told from the perspective of, Matt Naylor, a University of Alabama graduate and a 27-year-old design engineer for Chevron. Absent a father growing up, Derrick started running with the wrong crowd, breaking into cars and houses, and by the time he was a teenager, he was headed down a path toward prison. The Missouri Legislature paused for a moment of silence. On January 23, 2000, Derrick Thomas was on his way to Kansas City International Airport, when his SUV went off road because of snowy conditions. Click the play button above for an amazing tribute video put together by C.E. He dropped off his last passenger and came right to the studios. Eleven years ago today, NFL Hall of Famer and Kansas City Chief Derrick Thomas passed away. Twenty-nine years later, Joe Kines, the former Alabama defensive coordinator who was in the press box that night, still marvels at the how fast Thomas was able to cover that much ground on those two ill-fated two plays. In his four years as a passing-rushing terror for the Crimson Tide, Thomas set Alabama single-game, season and career records for sacks and tackles for loss -- records that still stand. I'm a kid in a candy store now. https://www.bhamwiki.com/wiki/index.php?title=Derrick_Thomas&oldid=55896, "Derrick Thomas." 40. 27. In 1993, Thomas delivered a stirring speech at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. . 645,169 - en.wikipedia.org, FactSnippet No. 29. He was 33-years old. Remembering Derrick Thomas: KC Chiefs Blog If he were still with us today, I have no doubt in my mind that Derrick Thomas would be spending his Sundays up in the booth with Mitch Holthus and the only Chief he wasn’t better than, Len Dawson. Thomas's death surprised the doctors who were working closely with the former National Football League star. Derrick Thomas is considering a career in psychology or mechanical engineering, while Shelton plans to pursue mechanical or civil engineering. 24. The Chiefs announced on June 23, 2009 that they will retire #58 in honor of Thomas on December 6. Aug. 27, 1986. Thomas kept his promise, harassing Penn State quarterback Tony Sacca the whole game, sacking him three times (including once for a safety) and forcing him into an Alabama-record nine quarterback hurries. Check out the trailer for Derrick Thomas: A Football Life here, Remembering Derrick Thomas: Arrowhead Addict, Remembering Derrick Thomas: KC Chiefs Blog. 28. Derrick Thomas helped usher in a new era for the Kansas City Chiefs. Thomas's rookie year was very successful, earning him Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Sporting News, and was the first Chiefs' linebacker to be elected to the Pro Bowl in his first season since Hall of Fame player Bobby Bell. "It did put a new spin on things.". 33. He awoke semiconscious, with no movement or motor function below the chest. Off the field, Thomas established the Third and Long Foundation. He had a great knack for getting around the guy. As Millar recounted in the SEC Storied documentary, he encouraged Thomas to stick it out and write down some personal goals he hoped to achieve at Alabama. Derrick Thomas started playing football when he was three years old, and played his high school football at South Miami Senior High School. That same season, his former Alabama teammate Humphrey, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos, was selected Offensive Rookie of the Year by the NFL Players Association. He was actually progressing probably better than expected for someone with his level of paralysis.''. But he was such a team player and leader. Sure, he had the uncanny ability to take over games late with his pass-rushing ability. Bob Gretz on Derrick ThomasHe showed up in the studio wearing a suit and the look of a man who had not yet been to bed. In the meantime, I will continue spending my Sundays the same way I have every week since 2000: waiting for the next Derrick Thomas. Derrick Thomas was hurrying through traffic in his Chevrolet Suburban on his way to the airport when his vehicle hit a patch of ice and flipped over several times, Thomas and a friend were thrown from the vehicle. On January 31, 2009, Thomas was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his fifth year of eligibility. Thomas also had several fractures of the cervical spine, which caused weakness in his hands. At the age of 14, Derrick Thomas was arrested for burglary and sent to the Dade Marine Institute, a boot camp program which served as a last option for young offenders before sending them to prison. ', "That's something that I thought was very impressive for him to take out an hour or 30 minutes of his time on his way to the stadium to share a moment of his time with a group of underprivileged children on game day. "That is the game where he just sort of erupted," Kendrick said. ''It is a devastating tragedy to the Kansas City Chiefs family, the people of Kansas City, the fans of the N.F.L., and also to me personally,'' said Carl Peterson, the team's general manager. 15. Therapy had been going fine. Thomas and one of the passengers were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the car; the passenger was killed instantly. (Birmingham News file/Charles Nesbitt). In the past few weeks, two N.F.L. He was also selected as a unanimous All-American at the conclusion of the 1988 season. "He had the whole package. ', "And I told her, 'I just want you to know that you have another grandchild. In his four season at the University of Alabama, Derrick Thomas set the Crimson Tide record for the most quarterback sacks in a career, with 52. 36. "And we just hit it off instantly. As both a football player and an individual, Derrick Thomas leaves a tremendously positive legacy that will permanently enrich everyone whose life he touched.''. Derrick Thomas established Chiefs career records for sacks, safeties, fumble recoveries, and forced fumbles. And now that other people know his story, too, Naylor said they see some similarities. "One night, I'm sitting on campus, and I finally get an anonymous email that had a phone number," he said. Derrick Thomas became further identified with the cause of Vietnam veterans after giving the keynote speech at Memorial Day services in front of the Vietnam Veterans Monument. "Now, he did it a little bit fancier than I did. This page was last modified on 6 January 2010, at 10:44. That was just his physical make-up.". "If I hit him too hard or whatever, so be it. He got to meet several players -- Lynn Swann and Sterling Sharpe among them -- who told him how much Derrick Thomas meant to them. "It just said, 'Edith' and (had) a phone number. Arrowhead Pride | Kansas City Chiefs Schedule, News, Roster and Stats, Remembering Derrick Thomas' Crash 10 Years Later, Arrowheadlines: The Chiefs signing Le’Veon Bell is “unfair”, Steve Spagnuolo takes some blame but isn’t panicked by loss to Raiders. "So she told me then, when I was 17.". . Following his senior season, Thomas was the fourth overall selection in the 1989 NFL Draft and went on to play 11 years with the Kansas City Chiefs, earning All-Pro honors six of those years and setting a NFL record for sacks in a game with seven against the Seattle Seahawks on Veterans Day 1990. And I'm like, 'OK.' "I said, 'Oh, really? 645,164 - en.wikipedia.org, FactSnippet No. It is literally unbelievable. Each year Moms2Moms58 hosts the "Celebration of Life Celebrity Weekend" in Miami. For the next decade, he was the cornerstone of the success of the Chiefs franchise. He had been in a car accident two weeks before on January 23rd. (Photo courtesy of the Third and Long Foundation). Thomas started playing football when he was three years old. Derrick Thomas is the seventh all-time tackler in Chiefs' history with 642 career tackles. Last December, Matt Naylor and his wife, Devon, and his grandmother attended the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in New York City. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. 's man of the year. 21. Derrick talked to us, and when he did it was sweeter than the sweetest lullaby our mothers ever sung to us. Probably THE best speed rusher of all time. The death of Thomas continued what has been a series of bizarre and sad incidents in professional sports. A friend who was in the car with Thomas, Michael Tellis, was killed. Wearing #55, Thomas smashed many Crimson Tide defensive records, including sacks in a single season. She hangs up on me. Before arriving in Kansas City, the team had made the playoffs just once in 17 years. They can't get Thomas out of there fast enough. Whenever someone asked him about that 7 sack game he reminded people that he almost had an 8th that would of saved the game. The N.F.L. Remembering Derrick Thomas: Arrowhead AddictArrowhead is the loudest stadium in the NFL, but it was at its loudest when Derrick was rocking the place. you couldn't run him hard enough. Check out the trailer for Derrick Thomas: A Football Life here. Witnesses say that the 1999 Chevrolet the linebacker was driving was speeding and weaving through traffic when it struck a median and flipped over several times on Interstate 435. Check out the trailer for Derrick Thomas: A Football Life here.. 10 years ago on this day, Derrick Thomas was in a car accident that killed he and his passenger, Mike Tellis. m_gallery_type = "photo"; (Editor's note: Portions of this story were updated in 2019 to reflect changes since its original publication in 2015). N.F.L. "She said, 'That's fine. Derrick Vincent Thomas (born January 1, 1967 in Miami, Florida - died February 8, 2000 in Miami) was a linebacker for the Alabama Crimson Tide and the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. His father, Air Force captain and B-52 pilot Robert Thomas, whom Derrick never got to know, was presumed dead after he disappeared during a mission (nicknamed "Linebacker II") in Vietnam in 1972. His 45 forced fumbles are also an NFL career record). 23. He won't have time to throw another deep ball like that.'". With Thomas on the defensive line, and with the talents of Coach Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs were one of only three teams in the 1990's to win 100 games. How old was Derrick Thomas at death? 10 years ago on this day, Derrick Thomas was in a car accident that killed he and his passenger, Mike Tellis. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. So Humphrey took care of Thomas when the Chiefs came to Denver, and Thomas treated Humphrey when the Broncos were in Kansas City. (AP file photo). Gladstone gave Derrick a second chance and sent him to Dade Marine Institute, a rehabilitation program for juvenile offenders, where he learned to swim, snorkel and scuba-dive. 1. Frustrated and embarrassed by something Bennett did to him on the practice field during that freshman year, though, Thomas was ready to quit the team and go back home to Miami. m_gallery = "derrick_thomas_at_alabama"; 41. But that didn't really bother Naylor. Derrick Thomas was selected with the 4th overall selection in the 1989 NFL draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. "Somebody got on me after the game," Kines recalled. She and Thomas developed a relationship after that.After she got pregnant, she never told Thomas, and when she subsequently got married, she and her husband, Roger Naylor, raised Matt.

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