"Aside from my own father and mother, no one had a more profound impact on my life than Coach Thomas. He truly was like a second father to me and to the hundreds of players from our community he coached over the years.
"Aaron (Kampman), Brad (Meester), Casey (Wiegmann) and I were so proud when he was named the NFL's High School Coach of the Year in 2005. He truly epitomized everything that is good about high school football and all the things it can teach young men.
"A part of him has been with me through my college and NFL careers and that will never change. I will never forget Coach Thomas. Heaven just got a great football coach and an even better man."
In Play! magazine
