RIP Derrick Thomas...13 Years Ago Today

[RyFo18]

Hard to believe it's already been 13 years. Take this in this morning:

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[DMAC]

:(

[big nasty kcnut]

Fuck he was my favorite defensive player. RIP D.T. P.S. john elways shit his bed when he thinks about D.T.

[Radar Chief]

http://i50.tinypic.com/9pnn09.jpg

:crybaby:

[Dayze]

I remember it well; I was in my last year of the Navy; 6 months until I got out (was counting the days at this point). Walked into my squadron, and my Lt (who obviously knew I was a fan) told me about it.

I thought he was shitting me. at this time, we didn't have internet up and running in the office, so I had to wait until I got back to my barracks room to read about it.

That was a long day, and I was so sad.

Note: My BIL and 14 y/o niece were involved in a hit and run on 435 last Thursday; truck slid and rolled 600' and rolled 8 times. My niece was pinned upside down; they had to cut off her hair to get her out (it was wedged under something). Glass in her eyes; 2 broken wrists, broken thumb, staples in the back of her head..

WEAR YOUR MF seatbelts ya'all. She was have been dead (most likely) had she not.

[Dayze]

http://i50.tinypic.com/9pnn09.jpg

one of my favorite pics.

was that a loss? I can't remember. I remember that was the flood game if I recall. I think the same one where my brother, upon returning from watchign the game at someones house, discoverd his 71 Z28 split bumper under water in the basement (one of those drive in/under basements some old ranch homes have). He had it since he was 15; yellow with black stripes.

sad day for him.

[In58men]

I was 13 years old, he was my childhood hero.

[PhillyChiefFan]

My God...13 years. Wow, I hadn't realized it was that long ago.

Always will be my favorite Chief.

[Radar Chief]

The thing that makes that Seattle game even more special is DT didn’t come at the offense from different positions. He lined up in the same spot all game long. The offense knew he was coming on every down and they could not stop him.

[dpg4zombie]

Does anyone have the tribute video they played at the stadium the season after his passing?

[Radar Chief]

one of my favorite pics.

was that a loss? I can't remember.

I can’t remember either. I’ve had that pictured stored forever because it’s one of my favorites also.

[Agent V]

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I was just a child when my dad told me about it. It was difficult to get a handle on what exactly happened, and I remember being pretty horrified.

[In58men]

"Derricks Lounge"

[loochy]

I remember that I was riding home from a soccer game when I heard it announced on the radio. I didn't really understand the seriousness of the situation and I was thinking that he'd be able to make a recovery and return that next season.

I got real quiet and I cried a little in the back seat.

[Sorter]

Tremendous player.

[Hammock Parties]

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[KC_Lee]

Laying on my couch sick as a dog with the flu when I woke up to the news he passsed.

Sad, sad day.

[Graystoke]

I remember my neighbor kid coming over to my house with tears in his eyes. I felt so bad for him. He lost his hero, and he was a Chief Fan.

[bevischief]

Wow. It's hard to believe it's been that long. Great player.

[ChiefRocka]

Coined the phrase "sack-strip-fumble"

[seaofred]

I was a senior in HS. I remember I was at lunch when I heard the news. Ruined the rest of my day.

[bevischief]

Man you guys are young.

[Predarat]

RIP Derrick Thomas

[QuikSsurfer]

Loved this guy... RIP

[DC.chief]

I was 15 when it happened. I remember that moment well. I first heard about it from my dad and I remember seeing him get real choked up about it so I got a little emotional too. And I only saw him cry a few times in my life. Still so tragic.

Anyways RIP DT. Such a great guy, an incredible athelete and one of the best ever to play LB.

[gblowfish]

I remember. Everyone thought when he survived the car wreck that he would live, although he'd be in a wheelchair the rest of his life, kind of like a Roy Campanella deal. Then the blood clot killed him. Terrible news on a terrible day. And sad that one of his best friends got killed in the wreck as well. Just an all around terrible thing.

[Radar Chief]

Man you guys are young.

No shit. I was at work listening to 810 on the radio.

[displacedinMN]

In my class. Turned on the net and saw the news.

Dropped in a chair and started sobbing.

I remember he was walking a few days before that.

ug. Time flies.

[BoneKrusher]

remember it well.

all the reports i'd heard said he was recovering well and boom i got the news and just about wrecked my car.
DT's the reason i became a Chiefs fan.

Dude was a Stud!

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Sigh...
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[Strongside]

Being a 14 year old kid and hearing that your favorite pro-athlete and childhood idol is dead is pretty rough. This day 13 years ago sucked.

[Ghost of Maslowski]

was that a loss? I can't remember. I remember that was the flood game if I recall.

October 4th, 1998. KC won 17-6 after a 50+ minute rain delay.


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/305/calledshot.jpg

This has always been one of my favorite pics. Long time Chiefs fans will remember what happened next.

[Radar Chief]

October 4th, 1998. KC won 17-6 after a 50+ minute rain delay.


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/305/calledshot.jpg

This has always been one of my favorite pics. Long time Chiefs fans will remember what happened next.

Did the defense ever fail to get a safety when he called his shot like that?

[Red And Yellow]

R.I.P. to my fav. chief

[Bump]

RIP DT

my favorite Chief ever.

[Ghost of Maslowski]

Did the defense ever fail to get a safety when he called his shot like that?

Chiefs had 10 sacks that game and DT had 6 all by himself, one of which was for a safety on Jeff George right after that pic was taken (i believe).

I only remember DT "calling" for a safety twice and that game was one of them.

edit: Sept 11th, 1994, SF @ KC was the other game i was thinking of, where DT called a safety and then got it. That time it was Steve Young and KC won the game 24-17.

According to Carl Peterson's HOF induction speech for DT, Thomas "called" his shot 3 times and got it, but i only remembered those two.

[CoMoChief]

RIP to the greatest father ever.

5 wives
8 kids

DT

[bobbymitch]

Tis sad indeed. I remeber the day of his accident. We were drving back from the airport and the snow; a drive that normally took 45 minutes wound up being 2.50 hours. It was an unholy mess.

My daughter and I were at the Lake Arrowhead game and got soaked. Who knew that 10 year old camping ponchos would leak? We were really concerned that someone would drown on the field. I still have my Lake Arrowhead picture (from a local photographer) proudly hanging on my wall.

[MotherfuckerJones]

RIP DT. I was the only KC fan in ohio lol. I was like 12 he crashed the day after my birthday and to this day I can't talk about it without getting a year in my eye. It was such a shock as a kid for your favorite player to die. My greatest day was a few years ago in Miami after the dolphins chiefs preseason game, I got to meet his mom. She was talking to TG. It was like getting to meet a piece of DT. I had her sign a KC shirt and to this day haven't washed it. I keep it clean and make sure not to fuck it up

[Demonpenz]

I like how it shows him in the weight room repping like 90 pounds on the preacher seat while cheatling LMAO dude was a beast

[The Mayor]

October 4th, 1998. KC won 17-6 after a 50+ minute rain delay.


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/305/calledshot.jpg

This has always been one of my favorite pics. Long time Chiefs fans will remember what happened next.

Sunday night football. I remember being there! There were rumors of a tornado in the area. We almost blew that game late but held on! Great pic.

[Titty Meat]

Great father.

[oldman]

I remember the day the accident happened. We were in St. Joseph and were headed home to Topeka. About 10 miles out of St. Joe, traffic was backing up and they detoured us over some of the worst roads I've ever seen. Let us back on 29 at Platte City and we had to get into Kansas before the roads we halfway decent. When we finally got back home, turned on the news and heard what happened. Such a waste of talent.

[KCFaninSEA]

He was fun to watch. Always exciting and anything could happen at any moment. It was a great time to be a Chiefs fan. RIP

[SAUTO]

No shit. I was at work listening to 810 on the radio.

Me too
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[stevenidol]

Always wear your seat belt. Make sure you have a will prepared.

[Chiefaholic]

Chiefs had 10 sacks that game and DT had 6 all by himself, one of which was for a safety on Jeff George right after that pic was taken (i believe).

I only remember DT "calling" for a safety twice and that game was one of them.

edit: Sept 11th, 1994, SF @ KC was the other game i was thinking of, where DT called a safety and then got it. That time it was Steve Young and KC won the game 24-17.

According to Carl Peterson's HOF induction speech for DT, Thomas "called" his shot 3 times and got it, but i only remembered those two.

I was lower level, Chiefs side, on the 15 yard line for the Raider game. That game was one of the loudest I recall at Arrowhead.

[DaneMcCloud]

Such a great guy

You and I must have completely different definition of "great guy".

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

DT WAS the 90s Chiefs.
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[HolyHat]

This is an article that was done on Jan 23rd (the day the accident happened)

http://www.chiefs360.com/2013/01/23/remembering-a-legend-derrick-dt-thomas/#more-1310

On this day, (January 23rd) 13 years ago , Derrick Thomas’ 1999 Chevrolet Suburban went off I-435 as he was driving to Kansas City International Airport during a snowstorm. He was going to fly to St. Louis to watch the NFC Championship game. Thomas and one of the passengers were not wearing seat belts and both were thrown from the car. The passenger was killed instantly. The second passenger, who was wearing his safety belt, walked away from the scene uninjured. Thomas was left paralyzed from the chest down, he passed away the morning of February 8, 2000 due to complications from the accident.

In his 11 seasons with the Chiefs, Thomas was responsible for 126 sacks and 642 tackles. He still holds the single game record of 7 quarterback sacks. He is one of only 25 NFL players to achieve 100 or more sacks. He was truly a pass rush specialist at 6’3″, 243-pounds.

His contribution to the Chiefs franchise was nearly immeasurable. Prior to his arrival in Kansas City, the team had made just one playoff appearance since 1971. In the 11 years that Thomas anchored the defense, the Chiefs finished first or second in the AFC West ten times, made seven playoff appearances, and won three division titles.

As much as anything Derrick did on the football field, beyond the NFL record of seven sacks in one game, and yet with all the sacks in his career, all the fumbles caused and recovered, and all the tackles, it was his contributions off the field that stand out to me. Derrick’s continuing legacy is the Third and Long Foundation, a reading program he established soon after coming to Kansas City and to which he devoted countless hours and finances. More than 1,000 children have gone through that program since it’s inception.

Derrick Thomas loved football and he loved people. His attitude was infectious. He made everyone around him pick up the pace. Still, he always had time for everyone because he had a huge heart and a smile that was as big as Derrick himself.

On January 31, 2009, Derrick Thomas was one of six players selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was his fifth year of eligibility. He was officially inducted in Canton, Ohio on August 8, 2009. The Kansas City Chiefs retired his number 58 on December 6, 2009 when the Chiefs played the Denver Broncos.



Kansas City not only lost a Hall of Fame football player 13 years ago, they also lost a Hall of Fame person.

[RyFo18]

Man...wear a damn seat belt.

[ClevelandBronco]

Man...wear a damn seat belt.

And a condom.

[spanky 52]

It was because of this I've worn a seat belt every time I'm in a vehicle. Such an easy habit to get into. Yeah, he was a great football player but not such a great person.

[Chief Roundup]

October 4th, 1998. KC won 17-6 after a 50+ minute rain delay.


http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/305/calledshot.jpg

This has always been one of my favorite pics. Long time Chiefs fans will remember what happened next.

Definately an awesome pic. I have the other angle for my avatar. Never have changed it. Never will.