Aug. 19, 2011
By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
Stevie Thomas remembers talking with his former Bethune-Cookman Head Football Coach Larry Little about being recognized as a Hall of Fame type performer. Little, of course, has his bust in Canton, Ohio as a member of the NFL Hall of Fame after his steller playing career with the Miami Dolphins but knew Thomas was making his mark with the Arena Football League's Tampa Bay Storm.
"Keep it up," Little told Thomas. "They'll put you in the Arena Football Hall of Fame one day."
Little was right and that day was August 12 as Thomas was one of ten players, coaches and executives named to the AFL Hall of Fame.
In his ten-year AFL career, Thomas was a part of five ArenaBowl champion teams - four with the Tampa Bay Storm and one with the Orlando Predators - while compiling a career that ranks among the finest in the 50-yard version of the game. Thomas was listed as the AFL's ninth greatest all-time player in an earlier list.
"It's amazing," Thomas said of being named. "Regardless of the sport, it is always a goal to be honored as one of the best. It's a privilege to be recognized."
In AFL circles and the Tampa Bay Storm fanbase, Thomas is held in the same regard as Little is in the NFL. Along with Jay Gruden (now the offensive coordinator of the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals), George LaFrance and Sylvester Bembrey, Thomas was a part of a great era for both the Storm and the league.
It was the most of a made opportunity.
Thomas had gone through disappointment after being released by both the NFL's Tampa Bay Bucs and the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football before signing with the Storm.
"I wasn't going to go through being released again," Thomas said. "I almost felt like my playing days were over. I appreciate what I had with the Storm and what they did for me."
Thomas' touchdown catch from Gruden with under a minute remaining gave Tampa Bay its first ArenaBowl championship in 1991 and launched the Storm's dynasty. In 1995, Thomas pulled off what is considered one of the greatest plays in AFL history when he salvaged a poor kickoff coverage by scooping up the ball and scoring a touchdown for a last-second victory over the Albany Firebirds in the playoff semifinals. Tampa Bay would go on to win the ArenaBowl the next week.
His Storm career coincided with his beginning as a law enforcement officer with the St. Petersburg Police Department. He'd practice in the morning, then work his shift in the afternoon. One time, both careers collided when Thomas defused a hostage situation when the gunman, an avid football fan, recognized Thomas and allowed him to come inside. Thomas and the gunman talked football for a while, leading to a peaceful end to the situation.ldquo;Here's a guy who was a full-time police officer, and a full-time football player," said Tim Marcum, the former Tampa Bay coach. "He would work 3-to-11's and never missed a practice. He had a `never give up' attitude."
That attitude may have started with his playing days at Bethune-Cookman. Thomas came in as a quarterback, but was converted into a wide receiver. He would play a role in the Wildcats' 1988 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship and that year's season-ending victory over Florida A&M.
" I just grabbed on and made due by being the best I could as a receiver," Thomas said. "I learned a lot at Cookman. I had to stand out, but I was given the opportunity to stand out. Like my fellow teammates and opponents in the AFL, I also keep in touch with my Cookman teammates. It was a great experience."
Thomas, currently a Pinellas County Sheriff's Deputy and Student Resource Officer, will be officially inducted the AFL's 2012 Kickoff Weekend.
