Thomas combines football, life lessons in CCS camp
It was the same position he displayed countless times in Neyland Stadium and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, having been an All-SEC lineman at Tennessee before a stint with the New Orleans Saints.
But instead of firing into an opponent from the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Atlanta Falcons, Thomas stood up to finish his instruction as part of a local youth football camp on Feb. 28.
He organized the camp with help from Concord Christian School, whose coach, Steve Matthews, received a tip from a friend about Thomas’ interest in giving back to the Knoxville community.
“I heard about him from a mutual friend here in Knoxville and in Memphis, so we’re happy to have him,” Matthews said. “We’ve got all these Vols For Life right in our backyard, so I think kids getting a chance to meet him is something they can remember for a long time.”
Thomas drove across the state for the event, making the same trip he has grown used to after coming to Tennessee from Briarcrest Christian School.
Dressed in Tennessee Nike shorts and a Concord sweatshirt, Thomas noted his eagerness to give back.
“I’ve done things like this back in Memphis, having camps and giveaways,” he said. “But to connect here in Knoxville and with Concord, it’s cool to see how they’re growing in their culture and program. It means so much to me coming here from Memphis, knowing I’m playing for the state and that it’s bigger than me.”
He opened with lessons about the importance of being coachable and doing well in school — using the same leadership that made Thomas a perfect fit for the SEC’s Leadership Council and the NCAA’s Student-Athlete Connection Group.
As he spoke, former Tennessee quarterback Erik Ainge walked up to deliver a few words of his own.
“We decided to come over to support Steve and support Concord,” Ainge said. “We go to church here, so anytime they have anything going on, we like to show our support. The goal today is to get them to learn to love to compete and to learn how to fail and go back at it.”
Ainge reinforced the importance of capitalizing on one’s best traits, noting that few players carry the same size as the 6-foot-3, 300-pound Thomas.
“It’s fun when you watch the guy, because as a former quarterback, I look like any other Joe Schmo,” Ainge said. “But when a guy like him shows up, they go, ‘Whoa.’ So that’s why my speech was that the good Lord blessed us with different things. So you can find what makes you great, and you learn by going to camps and competing against other players.”
That competition started with agilities, then kids broke into offensive and defensive positions before wrapping up with 1-on-1 drills and a couple of 7-on-7 battles.
During the position portion, Thomas gravitated toward the linemen, who worked on offensive and defensive techniques.
He instructed children on their hand placement and footsteps then launched into a sled to showcase the proper form and force.
In both instances, Thomas used the same tools gleaned throughout his career — and channeled a bit of his own teachers, such as Tennessee defensive line coach Rodney Garner.
“He’s a teachable person, always hands-on and wanting you to learn and get better,” Thomas said of Garner. “So that’s all I tried to incorporate — taking the little things I know and giving back to them.”
More than nuances in the trenches, though, Thomas said he hopes kids took away a bigger lesson overall.
“I want them to know that school is important and that anything is possible,” he said. “If someone tells you can’t do something, push yourself even more to do that. Hopefully everybody took away one football-related thing but learned that what you do off the field is important too.”
