QCI-ders... here's a special weekend update from QCI's Big Peach. It was announced today... Derrick Thomas will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. WOOT!
Dudes... this is huge and WAY overdue. You all know I'm a jihadist Chiefs fan... and #58 is probably one of my all time favorite Chiefs. His jersey was the first Chiefs jersey I ever had... you know... like the nice replica ones... before you could buy NFL jerseys anywhere but only in NFL cities... still have it.
Anyways... Derrick Thomas and the Chiefs of the 1990s were/are still my heroes... especially the defense... still have the bad ass "The Tribe" poster hanging at my folks... Man it was fun to watch them kick ass and take names... it was even more cool to meet these guys personally at football camps as kid... which brings on a few of my favorite stories...
MEETING DERRICK THOMAS - Dudes... my brother and I met DT at the Neil Smith Football Camp when we were kids... he was super nice and very gracious. But, the best was when my Pops came to pick us up from camp. So Dad, arrives at Rockhurst College (where the camp was)... we still had a couple of 7 on 7 games left so he found me and my bro... he wanted to hear all about camp, what we learned... then... my Pops freezes... "Hey... that's Derrick Thomas over there!" My brother and I had to go our final games and Dad just stood there... "I'll be right back," he said... DT was just leaning against the fence taking in some of the games... when my Dad came over and asked, "Mr. Thomas, sorry to bother you, but would you mind signing the back of my Chiefs sweatshirt?" DT smiled and said, "No problem." DT signed it and Dad was as getty as a 12 year old kid who just met one of his heroes.
WORST PHONE CALL EVER - I've told this story a million times... the worst phone call I have ever had to make. So I'm sitting in a deli in East Lansing with fellow Bush Staffers as we were gearing up for the Michigan Primary. ESPN News was on the TV when it broke... Derrick Thomas had passed away... it was like getting kicked in the stomach. After sobbing into my club sandwich... I knew I had to call my Pops... "Dad," "Yea, Grant... everything OK?" "Nah Dad... you may want to pull over on the highway..." "What's wrong?" "Dad, I don't know how to tell you this, but Derrick Thomas has just passed away..." After a 10 second pause... "NO!" "Sorry Dad, I... I'll just give you a ring later." "Alright." click...
I wish I could find the letter to the editor that my Pops wrote to the KC Star and DMR... it went something like, "Derrick Thomas was this family's best friend he never knew he had. While my kids were becoming teenagers, you would think that they would not want anything to do with their parents... but the Kansas City Chiefs were some of the best moments in our house. My kids even put temporary moratoriums on friends... no phone calls or guests during the games... it was our time to spend together watching Derrick Thomas and the Chiefs take care of business on Sundays in the fall." And so on and so on... turns out both papers printed the LTEs. Yea, we're that hardcore...
CHIEFS FANS CAN REJOICE - So today... I got to make a better phone call... "Dad, breaking news... Derrick Thomas is finally going to get inducted into the Hall of Fame!" "HEEEY!!! That's great! He's been due!" So all is looking up in the Chiefs Kingdom... new GM... new coach on the way... and Derrick Thomas is getting an honor that is WAY overdue... seriously, those HOF voters can sleep with a conscience tonight... #58 is headed to Canton!
Now... here's a pretty cool video... I think the Quote of the Day is from Former Coach Marty Schottenheimer, "Derrick, get on that quarterback's ass."
