Troy’s Thomas deals with heavy heart

TROY — Playing with a heavy heart, Derick Thomas went out and snapped a perfect game in Troy’s 48-3 win over UL-Lafayette.

It’s what long snappers are supposed to do — hit the punter or holder on the money every time, but Thomas did it three days after his father, Fred, died after a two-year battle with lung cancer. He was 47.

Derick was perfect on two field goal snaps, six extra-point snaps and two deep snaps on punts. The rest of the team was nearly perfect as Troy clinched a share of a third straight Sun Belt title. The Trojans play for the outright championship at home Saturday at 6 p.m. against Arkansas State.

It will be a celebration of sorts for Derick, a senior, as he will be honored with the rest of the senior class. But it will be sad, like Thanksgiving was, because
Freddie won’t be there in person.

“It was rough,” Derick said. “We still managed to eat too much. He always cooked the ham, so my mom had to do that.

“My dad was always the life of wherever he was. He’s a real joker, so we definitely felt that.”

They call Derick “Little Freddie” because “he looks just like his dad,” Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said.

Derick saw his father at the hospital in Birmingham Nov. 16, the day after Troy lost a heartbreaker at LSU. Fred listened to the game on the radio.

A couple of days later, Derick was called back to Birmingham. He talked to his father on the phone before his girlfriend of nearly two years, Melanie Boyd, drove him to Birmingham.

When Derick got there on the 18th, his father had been relaxed. He hadn’t responded well since the chest tubes had to be removed from his body.

“He fought with it all night, and in the morning at 8 o’clock, he passed away,” Derick said.

“It was real rough but he told us everything was going to be OK no matter what happened,” Derick said.

“He was ready, and he fought for a long time. He told us everything was going to be OK, and everything is OK. He’s in a better place, and I know that for a fact.”

“Little Freddie” was attached to his father since he was born. The two shared the same name — James Frederick Thomas — and Fred coached Derick in little league sports.

“I’d follow him everywhere and he’d turn around and look me and be like ‘What are you doing?’ We did a lot of hunting and fishing,” Derick said.
“He was really like a best friend and a dad.”

The visitation was held the next day and the funeral on Friday. Blakeney, special teams coach Shayne Wasden and other coaches and players made it to one or the other.

One day after he buried his father, Thomas played against UL-Lafayette. Sitting out wasn’t an option.

“Before he passed away, he had told us that him being sick, he wanted us to keep our heads up and doing what we had been doing,” Derick said.
“He wanted my sisters (17-year-old Maisie and 5-year-old Ivie) to keep on going to school, and he wanted me to play.

“When he passed away, I knew that he wouldn’t want me not to play on Saturday against Lafayette.”

Derick said his faith, girlfriend, family and friends helps him make it through this time. He’ll remember the good times he spent with his father, and one saying will stick with him.

“He always said ‘No matter how thick a slice of bologna (bull) is, a brick will always break a window,’ ” Derick said.
“We have many interpretations, but I think it’s talking about no matter what happens, the truth will prevail.”

Derick said his father was especially looking forward to his son’s final home game. He made it to a couple of games earlier this year.

“Yeah, he was, but he’ll be there too,” Derick said.