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The University Daily Kansan
Kansas No. 1 somewhere
Sports
MidAmerica Nazarene College of Kansas continued its dominance of NAIA Div. II basketball with a 26-2 record and the No.1 ranking.
Inside: More on Derrick Thomas' death and his influence on Lawrence and the Kansas City area.
SEE PAGE 8B
Inside: Intramural basketball players have complained about some foul officiating.
SEE PAGE 4B
WWW.KANSAN.COM/SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000
Thomas dies; Chiefs mourn
Photo by Chad Westendorf/KMBZ's Kansas City Sports
the closest city to the officials with the Kansas City Chiefs said he died of a heart attack. Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami attributed the cause to a cardio-respiratory arrest. Barth Green, one of Thomas' physicians, said a massive blood clot probably killed him.
MIAMI — NFL star Derrick Thomas died yesterday morning in a hospital where he was being treated for injuries from a car crash that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He was 33.
The Associated Press
team president Carl Peterson said he was with the 33-year-old linebacker Monday.
"he was upbeat, he was positive,
he was Derrick," said a tearful
Peterson, wearing a button with
Thomas' No. 58.
Thomas, a nine-time Pro Bowl player and one of football's most feared pass rushers, had been heading to the Kansas City airport with two companions to fly to St. Louis for the NFC title game.
thomas was injured Jan. 28 when the car he was driving flipped on an ice road. His friend was killed in the crash.
"Derrick Thomas leaves a tremendously positive legacy that will permanently enrich everyone whose life he touched," said NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue.
NFL union leader Gene Upshaw said Thomas was a great humanitarian.
"We will not only miss his Sunday afternoon blitzes, but his commitment to the sport and his community," he said.
His celebrity golf tournament for charity had been at Alvamar Golf Course, 1800 Crossgate Dr. He also volunteered with the little local league football program and donated game gear to the St. Patrick's Day Committee Sports Auction, which raises money for local charities.
While Thomas' volunteer work was prominent in Kansas City, it expanded to the Lawrence community as well.
"He's always been a good guy to donate things to the auction we've had," said Jerry Neverve, long-time auction committee member and owner of the Red Lyon Tavern.
"We will not only miss his Sunday afternoon blitzes,but his commitment to the sport and his community."
Paul Tagliabue NFL commissioner
944 Massachusetts St. "He's always given lots of stuff every year. He was just that kind of guy."
Before his accident, Thomas donated a pair of autographed cleats for the this year's auction on Feb. 19 at Liberty Hall. The committee plans to split the proceeds from the cleats with Thomas' Kansas City charity foundation, Third and Long Foundation.
Flags were lowered to half staff at Arrowhead Stadium yesterday. The Missouri Legislature paused for a moment of silence and Thomas' death was announced by Bill Kenney, state senator and former Chiefs quarterback.
Doctors decompressed his spinal cord and stabilized the spinal column with screws, rods and hooks and bone grafts from Trophy's hip.
Thomas and passenger Michael Tellis, 49, of Kansas City, Kan., were not wearing seat belts and were thrown from the car, police said. Tellis was killed instantly and a third passenger who was wearing his seat belt was treated at a hospital.
A clearly shaken Chiefs coach Gunther Cunningham recalled telephoning Thomas from the Pro Bowl after seeing several players and fans honoring the linebacker by wearing his number.
Thomas broke his spine and neck in the crash and was flown to Miami, his hometown, for surgery and rehabilitation.
"Derrick Thomas was a true hero," said Kenney, who urged lawmakers to support a bill for spinal cord research in Missouri.
"Derrick said, 'Coach, be strong,'"
Cunningham said. "He never told me how strong I needed to be."
— Chris Wristen contributed to this story
Track legend inducted into Hall of Fame
By Sarah Warren
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Twenty-five years later, Kansas is finally getting with it.
nimely getting a Bill Easton, Kansas track and field coach from 1948 to 1965, made the list of inductees into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame for the year 2000, after being inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975.
"I think it's long overdue," said Gary Schwartz, Kansas track and field
coach. "When people start talking about great coaches in track and field, he should be on that list."
Easton, who passed away at age 93 in 1997, won 39 Big Eight team championships while at Kansas, making him the winningest coach of any sport in Big Eight history.
Bob Timmons, Easton's successor, credited him with building the bulk of track and field tradition associated with Kansas.
"It is next to impossible to live up to
a legendary coach," Timmons said. "The Kansas name was all over because of him and that was very beneficial to our program."
Timmons credits Easton's success to his incredible work ethic and persuasive talents.
"He had a wonderful ability to inspire athletes to do their best, he was a strong disciplinarian," Timmons said. "He asked people to do their best, but he also demanded it."
His high expectations helped his ath
In addition, Easton coached 32 All Americans and eight Olympians while at Kansas.
letes, including Olympic Gold Medal winners Al Oerter and Billy Mills, in setting four world records. 14 American records, 14 intercollegiate marks and four Olympic records.
"His All-Americans could possibly have been All-Americans in another program." Timmons said. "But they were All-Americans in his program because he asked them to compete at the highest level and his level was the highest."
Multi-talented athlete leaves basketball for track
Rv Chris Fickett
sports@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Amanda Reves, a four-year academic All-Big 12 selection from the Kansas volleyball team, has left the women's basketball team and now is running track for the Jayhawks.
By Chris Hickson
sports@kansan.com
Reves practiced with the track and field team yesterday and will run the 400- and 800-meter events this season, said Elliot Bloom of the Kansas sports information office.
information officer. Kansas women's basketball coach Marian Washington said after Sunday's victory against Oklahoma State that Reves, who walked on the team after completing her volleyball career, had quit.
Welfare next year and would not have been able to play basketball next season.
Reve's identical twin sister, Brooke, is a junior forward for the Jayhawks' basketball team. Amanda will be completing a practicum in the School of Social
"Everybody wants to play," she said. "And I understand that. But this year, with the new offense, it was difficult. The players that started on this offense in the preseason had such a great head start."
Washington said that Amanda decided to leave because she had not received as
much playing time as she originally had hoped and because she wanted to devote more time to academics.
Reves: Moves from the volleyball court to track
Despite making only five appearances and averaging 0.8 points and 0.2 rebounds a game, Amanda, and the rest
"I think that she's a very positive young woman and certainly one of our most successful and respected athletes at this University," Washington said. "In the limited time she was a part of our program we really appreciated what she brought."
of Kansas' bench players, provided need ed enthusiasm.
Kansas volleyball coach Ray Bechard echoed Washington's sentiments about Amanda's on- and off-the-court accomplishments.
"I can speak of what she's done for the volleyball program and she speaks volumes," he said of Amanda, who is Kansas' all-time blocks, assists and kills leader. "You say student-athlete, and in the dictionary you see her picture next to it."
Beachard, who is in his third year as Kansas' coach, said he had talked to Amanda before she joined the basketball
"I told her that when she was going into basketball not to expect to contribute in terms of points, or minutes or rebounds, but what you can offer is to be yourself," Bechard said.
Bechard also was aware that Amanda might run track and field this spring. He said that whatever she decided would be well thought out and in her best interests.
team in November.
Under NCAA rules, Amanda is allowed to compete this academic year, which is her fourth year of eligibility, and the 2000-01 year in a sport other than volleyball.
She can play both volleyball and track this year because the sports are in the same academic year and count against only one year of her eligibility. If Amanda decides to compete in track and field next season, it would be her fifth and final year of eligibility.
Sports Columnist
Michael Rigg
sports@kansan.com
Linebacker's legacy marred by fatal mistake
It was a sunny Veterans Day in 1990, and Thomas was on fire.
Sometimes the course of a life can change as quickly as the drop of a quarterback or a split-second decision upon getting into an automobile.
upon getting into the game. Such is the case of Chiefs' linebacker Derrick Thomas, who died yesterday at age 33. Before the examination of his legacy can begin, venture back to the day when Thomas' football legacy was made.
He sacked Seattle quarterback Dave Krieg an NFL-record seven times, and lined up on the final snap of the game for one last kill. With Kansas City leading by six points and the Seahawks driving in Chiefs territory, Thomas engulfed Krieg nearly the second the ball was snapped.
Then, Krieg turned downfield. So did the fortunes of Thomas and the Chiefs. Using one last speck of energy, Krieg escaped Thomas, then fired a strike to a wideout for the touchdown. Thomas sauntered off the field in disbelief as the scoreboard above him glared "Seattle 17, Kansas City 16."
While Thomas and Kansas City would have glories, that bright day in Arrowhead Stadium is the microcosm of Thomas' life: oh, what could have been.
Twice in the 1990s, when the Chiefs sported the top record in the NFL, Kansas City was eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
On a snowy day in late January, Thomas and one of his best friends — Michael Tellis of Kansas City — took off for KCI. Near the airport, Thomas' car hit a patch of ice and flipped. Tellis was dead upon impact. Thomas, who was paralyzed by the wreck, lived only 16 more days.
The last game Thomas ever played was in the first weekend of the new millennium. With a victory, Kansas City could wrap up the AFC West title and a home playoff game. But Kansas City surrendered a 17-point lead and lost 41-38 to the Oakland Raiders.
By now, nearly everyone in the Kansas City area knows the story of Thomas and his tragic beginning. Thomas' father, Robert Thomas, was an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War, where his plane was shot down in 1972 on a mission ironically called "linebacker 2." Thomas' father would live eight more years, but only to a portion of his capabilities. His father was declared legally dead in 1980, and Thomas dedicated his efforts against Seattle to his deceased dad.
While Thomas quickly became known for his accomplishments on the field, it was his work in the community that endeared him to Chiefs fans. He read to children at local libraries to promote literacy. He was Kansas City's main United Way spokesman. He was designated as one of former President George Bush's "points of light". In 1993, he was named the NFL man of the year for his efforts.
Thomas' life could have left a legacy on the world that few athletes could ever touch. But his decision to not put on a simple safety device will leave his sterling legacy with one black mark.
While no one is in denial of Thomas' great 33 years, the future school children of America sadly won't learn about Derrick Thomas, great linebacker and man. They will learn of Derrick Thomas, the man who had everything going for him, but then ended it by not wearing his seat belt.
Now, with his death, Thomas will promote seat belts more than literacy or charity. By his split-second decision not to wear his seat belt on that snowy day in January, Thomas compromised his great legacy and became a statistic in the process.
According to "Buckle Up America," one American is killed every hour because he or she didn't buckle up.
Yesterday, at 11:10 central time,
Thomas became part of this statistic,
and his legacy will never be the same.
Oh, what could have been.
Rigg is a Greenwood Village, Colo., sophomore in broadcast news.
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