2008 Woodie Awards
Paving The Way
Football: UConn Guard Goes From Walk-On To Pro In 4 Years
Justin Verrier
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: Sports
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Two years ago, Thomas stepped onto the UConn practice field for walk-on on try outs, simply looking for a chance to be part of a team again and improve his chances of getting into law school.
In one day, with one phone call, the UConn senior offensive guard may have a chance to step onto the field for one of 32 NFL teams and step into a life he never dreamed could come true.
"All this happened pretty much this year," Thomas said. "Seeing things progress for me has definitely been, like, a wow-factor for me … It just happened so fast."
When Thomas stepped onto the Storrs campus nearly five years ago, it wasn't with the ballyhoo or hype that surrounded most of the pro prospects with which he'll be fighting for draft positioning in this weekend's draft. In fact, there was none at all.
Despite standing at 6-foot-3, 303 pounds and looking as if he was born with a pair of cleats on, football wasn't even a consideration when Thomas walked on to campus.
Enrolled as a regular student, it had been almost three years since he had even seen a football field.
Although his profile in the UConn media guide states that he lettered in football three times while at Career High School (New Haven) and recorded six sacks his junior year, the senior said that's just a tad off the mark - by a good two and a half years.
Thomas doesn't know exactly where that information came from, but he said that he actually only played in three games his freshman year for a neighboring school before he was told he could no longer participate.
"My school didn't have a team but [I] played for a school that had one and they told me I could no longer do that," Thomas said. "So I had to stop playing and my mom wouldn't let me transfer."
Instead, he shifted his focus to basketball and baseball, where he helped lead his team to a Southern Connecticut Conference championship in 2002 and was named an All-Division selection, respectively.
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