The Great Derrick Thomas, still alive in the record book. 17 years later.

[Big Daddy Tek]

http://www.chiefscrowd.com/forums/images/imported/2008/11/12.jpgCould it possibly be 18 years ago?

It just doesn’t seem like it could be that many Chiefs seasons since Derrick Thomas chiseled his name into the NFL record books.

On November 11, 1990 at Arrowhead Stadium, Thomas set a new league record with seven sacks of Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg.

The performance broke the previous record of six sacks set by San Francisco’s Fred Dean 25 years ago (November 13, 1983) against New Orleans.

It’s a record that has not been broken since. Last year, New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora had six sacks against Philadelphia. Thomas himself had six sacks in 1998 against Oakland, also at Arrowhead.

There have been a lot of passes thrown since that Veteran’s Day almost two decades ago. There have been a lot of pass rushers that have come through the pro football pipeline. The fact that none has been able to duplicate Thomas’ record is testimony to how remarkable an afternoon that day was for the second-year outside linebacker out of Alabama.

The Chiefs were 5-3 at that point in the ‘90 season. The week before the Chiefs had beaten the Los Angeles Raiders 9-7 at Arrowhead.

It was a clear Indian summer afternoon, with temperatures at kickoff hitting 63 degrees. A crowd o f 71,285 fans were in the house for this battle between AFC West rivals. Just three weeks earlier the Chiefs were beaten by the Seahawks in Seattle, so they were seeking redemption.

Thomas’ record setting day began midway through the first http://www.chiefscrowd.com/forums/images/imported/2008/11/13.jpgquarter. Here’s how the sacks came:

- No. 1: Midway through the first quarter, on a third and 20 from the Seattle 28-yard line, Krieg was sacked for a five-yard loss.

- No. 2: Late in the first quarter, on a third and 10 play from the Seattle 15-yard line, Thomas took down Krieg for a 14-yard loss.

- No. 3: Late in the third quarter, on a third and 17 situation from the Seattle eight-yard line, Thomas sacked Krieg, knocking the ball loose. It was recovered in the end zone by DT Dan Saleaumua for a Chiefs touchdown.

- No. 4: Early in the fourth quarter, on a second and 10 play from the Kansas City 38-yard line, Thomas took Krieg down for a loss of 10 yards.

- No. 5: With 3:49 to play in the fourth quarter, on a first and 10 from the Seattle 35-yard line, Krieg was taken down by Thomas for a seven-yard loss.

- No. 6: Three plays later, on a first and 10 from the Chiefs 43-yard line, Thomas got Krieg again for minus-10 yards.

- No. 7: The record setter came on the next play, a second and 20 situation with Thomas dragging Krieg to the ground for the seventh time. On this play it was a six-yard loss.

In what should have been one of the most memorable moments of his life, D.T.’s afternoon was spoiled about 90 seconds after that record sack. Taking over at the Seattle 34-yard line with 48 seconds to play, Krieg completed passes of 16 and 25 yards. That set up the Seahawks with a first and 10 at the Chiefs 25-yard line. After an incompletion on first down, Krieg dropped back to pass again with the clock ticking off the game’s final seconds. Thomas came flying in from Krieg’s left side and grabbed at his waist as he threw the ball towards the end zone. That’s where WR Paul Skanski jumped up and pulled down the ball as the clock showed 0:00. Skanski’s touchdown and Norm Johnson’s PAT kick gave Seattle a 17-16 victory.

The outcome of that game tore at Thomas’ heart. Eight years later, when he had six sacks in a victory against the Raiders, Thomas still felt the pain. “At least we won this time,” D.T. said then. “I still can’t believe we didn’t win that game (in ‘90).”

*** I FOUND THIS ARTICLE ONLINE AND THOUGHT THAT SOME OF YOU MIGHT LIKE IT.

[Drunker Hillbilly]

Maybe the best game I ever saw!!!!!!!!!

[Chiefster]

RIP DT! It is a crying shame that he has not been inducted in Canton.

[Big Daddy Tek]

RIP DT! It is a crying shame that he has not been inducted in Canton.
AMEN TO THAT!

[Chiefster]

AMEN TO THAT!




TESTIFY!

I think it is asinine that because he simply never won a SB ring that it should keep him from his just place in the NFL annals.
.

[Canada]

RIP DT! It is a crying shame that he has not been inducted in Canton.

I am going to Canton when he gets in. Hopefully this year with Jerry Rice (my travelling buddy is a 49ers fan) And i will be there to represent when he goes in!! :bananen_smilies046: RIP DT!! You are the King!!!

[hardcorechiefsfan]

http://www.chiefscrowd.com/forums/images/imported/2008/11/12.jpgCould it possibly be 18 years ago?

It just doesn’t seem like it could be that many Chiefs seasons since Derrick Thomas chiseled his name into the NFL record books.

http://www.chiefscrowd.com/forums/images/imported/2008/11/13.jpg
I didn't think it was THAT long ago.

[Chiefster]

I am going to Canton when he gets in. Hopefully this year with Jerry Rice (my travelling buddy is a 49ers fan) And i will be there to represent when he goes in!! :bananen_smilies046: RIP DT!! You are the King!!!


You will, of course, bring back many pictures with which to share with all of us right? :D

[Canada]

You will, of course, bring back many pictures with which to share with all of us right? :D

As long as I don't get drunk and so something dumb with the camera!! Remember, I am the guy who lost his shoes in KC!! :drunkhb:

[tammietailgator]

As long as I don't get drunk and so something dumb with the camera!! Remember, I am the guy who lost his shoes in KC!! :drunkhb:

you did save my camera~!

This was an awesome post DH:bananen_smilies046:

[Darth CarlSatan]

RIP DT! It is a crying shame that he has not been inducted in Canton.


TESTIFY!

I think it is asinine that because he simply never won a SB ring that it should keep him from his just place in the NFL annals.
I am going to Canton when he gets in. Hopefully this year with Jerry Rice (my travelling buddy is a 49ers fan) And i will be there to represent when he goes in!! :bananen_smilies046: RIP DT!! You are the King!!!
For me, every year Derrick get's passed over, it's like reliving the nightmare of his injury and passing all over again.
The collision and paralysis were devastating to me as a football fan; Derrick was and still is my favorite Chief ever.
But when I got over my selfishness as a fan, I realized there was MUCH work left for Derrick to do in this life. His dedication to philanthropy may not have gotten a lot of press time or glory, but he worked at it just as hard as he played football. So, I put my football needs to rest regarding Derrick, and I promised myself I would give or do whatever I could to help his foundation, and to hopefully give back a little bit of all he'd given me.
Derrick had vowed that he would walk again, and I really hoped and prayed he would.

And then, even that was gone.

I can count on one hand how many times in this life I've been reduced to an absolute mess, and that day was one of them. I was working in the 55th and Ward Parkway neighborhood, reading water meters. The space between the houses was great enough that it was just faster to drive from house to house. I'd work a little, and then I'd have to stop and try to get myself back together. This went on for about three hours and by the time I got home, I was just numb.

I don't care what I have to do to make it happen; when Derrick finally gets his due, I will be there.
And I don't give a damn if I only get to stand in the parking lot, watching it all on someone's dinky-a**ed, potable media device.
I will full-on represent, and I will let nothing in this world stand in my way, or keep me from getting to Canton. Period.

[Darth CarlSatan]

I know everyone has probably read this at one point, but it's always a good "once a year read" anyway. Enjoy.


Feb. 1, 2005

Maybe you know the story about Derrick Thomas' final victory. A few people do. The folks who were there, inside that auditorium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., four months after his death, they'll never forget.

Most people have never heard. That wasn't how Thomas operated, for cameras or the attention. His college coach, Bill Curry, didn't know. That's where this starts, with Curry on the phone last week from Hawaii, where his job at ESPN had taken him. He tells stories about Thomas, funny ones, about the 36 speeding tickets and about the constant curfew-cutting.

Curry says he had one regret. When Thomas left Alabama, he was less than a year from graduation. Curry says he wishes Thomas would have gotten his degree. That was Derrick's grandmother's wish, too; she refused to ever fly unless it was to his graduation ceremony or to the Super Bowl.

“He promised me he would graduate,” Curry says.

“Coach,” you tell him, “I've got a story for you.”

You begin, and when you're done, when he hears the story that you're about to hear, Bill Curry can't even speak.

***

The final victory began for Thomas at a training-camp lunch table. Lamonte Winston, the Chiefs' director of player development, was eating. He and Thomas had never really gotten along, so Winston focused on the young guys, hoping to succeed in motivating them to pursue education where he'd failed with Thomas.

But that day, Thomas saw Winston at the table and sat down next to him. He did something Derrick Thomas rarely did. He reached out.

“Can you help me go back to school?” he asked Winston.

Lamonte agreed. They found classes at UMKC that would transfer to Alabama. Terri Kendall, the executive director of Thomas' Third and Long foundation and the mother of one of his children, helped him register. Derrick began attending.

This was part of a grander growing-up plan. He knew he had one contract left. The lavish spending habits would have to change. After a comical stream of business failures, he was coming up with more solid ideas. It was a work in progress, to be sure — a work never completed, ultimately — but friends say they were noticing a change. The biggest example was the chase of his degree.

He took Spanish. Algebra. A computer-science class. He met a tutor, who didn't realize Derrick Thomas was a big star. Thomas loved that guy, who sat patiently with him and helped with difficult assignments. Thomas began leaving him tickets; when they parted ways, the tutor was a Chiefs fan.

During the offseason, he'd slowly check off the hours. He carried around a backpack like the other students. His friends laughed at the crushed M&M's in the bottom. Seems Thomas ate the things by the case to stay awake.

“He was slowly, slowly working,” says Kevin Almond, then an associate athletic director at the University of Alabama. “Trying to complete his degree.”

Thomas got closer and closer. Finally, in January of 2000, he was one class away, according to Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson. Then, the car wreck. Graduation dreams were placed on hold while he tried to regain feeling in a Miami hospital. Tougher challenges than a degree awaited. If anyone could do it, D.T. could.

Of course, he never got the chance.

On Feb. 8, 2000, Derrick Thomas died suddenly from a pulmonary embolism. Winston, who'd come to respect and even love Thomas, was there. He won't ever forget the doctors and nurses carrying streams of equipment into the hospital room, frantically trying to save his friend. He won't forget the nurse asking him and Derrick's mom if they were spiritual, and then holding their hands, saying, “Let us pray.”

Nor will he forget the end, when the medical staff slowly wheeled out the machines, one by one, like on television, until nothing was left but an empty room and Derrick Thomas.

“He was in the huge room by himself, dead,” Winston says. “Then to have to call back and say he's gone, it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my life. To just see him, manicured fingernails, 58, gone.”

That's where it could have ended.

Except the University of Alabama has a policy. If a student dies within a certain amount of credits before graduation, the school will award a posthumous degree. That year, they had several. One was Derrick. Almond helped set the wheels in motion, contacting the NFL and Winston.

The school invited Peterson, his former coach Marty Schottenheimer, Derrick's mother, Edith Morgan, and his grandmother Annie Adams to campus on May 13, 2000. Everyone showed, sat in the family section. It was the first time his grandmother had gotten on an airplane; he had lived up to his half of the bargain, so she lived up to hers.

They sat around the other families, to whom this day symbolized a beginning of life's journey, not an end. The names were read. Starting with the A's, working their way down the alphabet. They got close. Emily Rachel Terry. Zora Lynn Terry.

Derrick Vincent Thomas. Independence, Missouri. Criminal Justice.

Something happened. The crowd, some of whom had cheered him on at the stadium a few miles away, rose. It got loud, then louder.

“His mother, Edith, and his grandmother, who he just adored, walked to the stage to get his degree,” Peterson says. “You talk about emotional. They didn't take long in the program, but everybody knew. And for a moment, everything stopped.”

Edith Morgan and Annie Adams stood on the stage and listened to the ovation Derrick didn't get to hear. They soaked it up for a minute until the ceremony continued. Leonard Austin Thompson. Amy Lynn Thorne. Lives moved forward as Thomas' family looked back.

Edith now wears a University of Alabama graduation ring on her finger. One of Derrick's sons, Derrion, has a copy, too. They can look at them from time to time. They can look and be proud.

***

That's the end. Curry cries when the story is over, and after a moment of silence, all he can say is, “Bless his heart.”

He tries to be funny again, but it isn't the same.

“You caught me off-guard there,” he says. “I didn't know that story.”

For a moment, all he can think about is a promise a kid had made to him, a promise that kid had made to a lot of folks, a promise that had been fulfilled.

“I didn't know he went back,” Curry says. “God bless him. I loved that kid.”

Me too coach, me too.

[tornadospotter]

YouTube - Derrick Thomas

[Darth CarlSatan]

God I miss that level of play.

[chief31]

YouTube - Derrick Thomas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGurzBk7QL8)

Rep added. Post Of The Year!!!:yahoo:

[Chiefster]

YouTube - Derrick Thomas (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGurzBk7QL8)

In my humble and biased opinion DT was simply the very best at what he did!

[hardcorechiefsfan]

In my humble and biased opinion DT was simply the very best at what he did!
He was the best and obviously still is.

[Chiefster]

He was the best and obviously still is.


He is proof positive that one can go before ones time. IMO.

[Darth CarlSatan]

He is proof positive that one can go before ones time. IMO.

We haven't had a legitimate, dominant defense since Derrick passed; the void he left is still yet to be filled.

I did however come across something the other night that gave me the same feeling I got when I first saw Flowers reels, and what he could do:


"I want to become the player that the offense gameplans around, that the offense fears coming into the game." The inspiration he draws from his late father, Talatonu, who died just before the 2006 Rose Bowl BCS Championship Game: "It doesn't hit me as much now as it did, but I use it as inspiration. He's out there in my heart playing with me. Even though he's not here, he's with me spiritually."


http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn182/lightbringerrr/reysack.png

Sound Familiar, Boys and Girls?

DCS says and COMMANDS:

DESTINY PICK; ROUND ONE, AND NO ARGUMENT FROM ANYONE!
MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!!

[slc chief]

dude needs to be in the hall of fame

[tornadospotter]

By Bill Althaus - bill.althaus@examiner.net
The Examiner
Posted Nov 15, 2008 @ 02:12 AM
Blue Springs, MO —
“Did you hear about Derrion’s shoulder pads?” asked Blue Springs South quarterback Blaine Dalton, a teammate of defensive end Derrion Thomas.
“I guess by now, everyone knows he wore his dad’s shoulder pads tonight. It was freaky out there – he reminded me of his dad all night. I was watching No. 33, but I felt like I was watching No. 58.”
No. 33 is Derrion, a senior defensive end who made life unbearable for Rockhurst quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase Friday night at South.
Thomas harassed, pounded and chased down Scheelhaase all night long, collecting five sacks and four other tackles to lead the Jaguars to stunning 14-9 Class 6 state quarterfinal victory.
He was wearing shoulder pads that featured a No. 58 sticker.
They were the shoulder pads his father, the late Derrick Thomas, wore for the Kansas City Chiefs.
There were all sorts of rumors circulating before the game about how the younger Thomas received the prized pads.
“I’ve gotten to know Allen Wright, one of the equipment managers for the Chiefs, and he gave them to me this week,” Thomas said. “I don’t know if they made a difference or not, but I felt like my dad was with me all night.
“I felt like he was with the minute I put them on. I just felt different going into this game. I can’t explain it, it was just different.”
This is the first year Thomas has dedicated himself to football.
He was a state champion swimmer for South last year and now he’s a contender for The Examiner’s Defensive Player of the Year Award.
“I thought the guy was fast in the water,” Dalton said, “but he can move even faster on land. He was amazing tonight. I’ve never seen anyone chase down and catch Scheelhaase from behind like Derrion did – and he did it all night.”
On the Hawklets’ first series, Thomas had two sacks, and the defensive tone for the entire night had been established.
“Derrion was amazing tonight,” South coach Greg Oder said. “He’s had some good games this season, but tonight he took it to a new level.”
On the Hawklets’ second possession, he had what appeared to be a forced fumble, but the officials ruled it an incomplete pass as he came down hard on Scheelhaase’s arm as he attempted a pass.
He had four pressures in the game and keyed a defensive line performance that forced three interceptions – one each by Armahn King, Logan Moon and Mike House.
“We just played a complete game tonight,” said King, who also scored on an 8-yard touchdown run and caught a key third-down reception late in the game to keep the final offensive series alive to help time run out on the Hawklets’ 10-2 season.
Scheelhaase who passed for 271 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 48-0 victory over Blue Springs, was held to just 28 yards in the air on 2-of-11 passing.
“We knew we had to keep them away from the big plays, and Scheelhaase is their big-play man,” Thomas said. “The entire defense played the best we have played all season. To shut them out for three quarters and to hold them to nine points is a credit to the players on this team and our coaches.
“I hope everyone knows how hard our coaches worked this week to get us ready for tonight’s game.”
When asked about the satisfaction level of the win, Thomas grinned a smile that was eerily close to many a smile I remember seeing from his father following a big NFL game.
“They beat us 42-14 in the first game of the season. The game was on ESPN, and everyone thought we were going to be horrible. But we believed in ourselves, and we worked hard, and we started to come together as a team.
“I’ll be honest with you. Early in the season, I didn’t know if I could trust the guys I was playing beside. I wondered if I would have to cheat a little bit one way or another because I didn’t know what they would do.
“Now, I would trust them with my life. We all go out and take care of business, and I guess you could say this is the end result.”
And what about those shoulder pads?
“Oh, I’ll be wearing them the rest of the season – and I hope it lasts two more games.”
He pauses, and adds, “Make that two more wins.”


http://209.20.84.187/blank.gif?site_id=mo-independence&storyurl=http://www.examiner.net/sports/x1751716969/Wearing-his-famous-fathers-shoulder-pads-Thomas-follows-his-form&zip=64050&title=Wearing his famous father's shoulder pads, Thomas follows his form

[Darth CarlSatan]

That is so awesome, thanks.