Hall of Fame moment arrives for Dolphins legend Zach Thomas: Will tears follow?
CANTON, Ohio — It sounds like a scene from “The Shawshank Redemption,” the veterans getting cheap entertainment by debating which of the newcomers is most likely to lose it. Only in this case, the principals are members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who will gather in their gold jackets Saturday to watch some of the NFL’s toughest men reduced to tears.
Hot tip for them: Put your money on Zach Thomas.
Thomas, the rock-solid middle linebacker for the Dolphins for a dozen years, not only will be enshrined with the Class of 2023, he’ll have the honor of going first in the program. He’ll become the 11th man whose career is most associated with the Dolphins to have his bust in Canton but only the third defensive player, joining linebacker Nick Buoniconti and defensive end Jason Taylor.
When Thomas takes the podium, it will be a culmination of 28 years of playing the game, of overcoming odds to simply make the Dolphins as the 154th overall pick in 1996, then enduring three close calls as a Hall of Fame finalist before getting tapped on the shoulder with good news by Jimmy Johnson, who drafted him and who, to go full circle, will present him.
Emotional? You bet Thomas, 49, is going to be emotional. Heck, last weekend when Thomas visited the Dolphins’ facility and met with the media, he got emotional just thinking about the national anthem before his first NFL game (for the record, a 24-10 victory over New England on Sept. 1, 1996).
“I think that moment of the national anthem was the time I knew I had a starting chance and I wasn’t going to let it go,” Thomas said, slowing down with each passing word until he had to stop to compose himself. “All right, let me drink water,” he said as reporters laughed.
A moment later, Thomas was able to continue.
“That’s what I don’t want,” he said. “I’m going first and I don’t want to take away from any of the inductees behind me because you want to respect them and their time.”
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Just as he never entered a game without a plan, Thomas has a strategy to attempt to keep it together on the podium. It’s all about eye contact, or lack thereof, depending on whom he’s talking about at any given time.
“When I’m talking about my family, I’m going to be looking at feet,” Thomas said. “Even Jimmy.”
But not wife Maritza, or his three children, or Johnson, or any Dolphins fan could blame Thomas if he’s clutching a tissue before it’s over. Thomas is the self-described “small-talent kid with big dreams” out of Pampa, Texas. He was small by NFL standards at 5-feet-11, 235 pounds, although he never seemed small to the running backs he stuffed.
Thomas and Taylor formed the cornerstone of a defense that ranked in the NFL’s top 10 for seven straight seasons starting in 1998, although a Super Bowl proved elusive.
“I finally got that win, when it comes to being a Hall of Famer, because that’s all I played for was the wins,” Thomas said. “It wasn’t for the accolades or any of that stuff. It was always just about the wins.
“This is definitely a win.”
Although it may have been understandable when Thomas didn’t get enough votes in his first year as a finalist, his second try, then third, created angst among his fans. They compared his statistics to linebackers already enshrined (in many cases, Thomas’ were better). They wondered if this day would ever come.
Thomas, humble as always, appreciated their support but wouldn’t succumb to negative thoughts.
“When I was done playing, I was just always grateful that I played a game for so long — 28 years of football, man — and it was so good to me,” he said. “And I always just look back any time I ever thought that. The game owes me nothing. I remember when I was 8 years old with big dreams from a small town. Small-town country boy, man. And for me to ever be like, ‘Oh, man,’ be negative about something? That’s not me, man.”
Thomas’ bid received a boost in 2019 when Kevin Mawae made a pitch on Thomas’ behalf during his induction speech. Mawae was a center for the Jets. Not only was the Dolphins-Jets rivalry as hot as it gets back then, but the Mawae-Thomas matchup was always center stage.
“For him to put me into his induction speech was pretty powerful,” Thomas said. “That’s respect right there. He’ll definitely be in my speech, even being a Jet.”
Jimmy Johnson gave Thomas starting job as a rookie
When Thomas arrived in South Florida, it wasn’t with a bust in mind. A roster spot would do. Maybe a role on special teams, since the Dolphins had a veteran linebacker in Jack Del Rio.
Then in the preseason, Johnson stunned Thomas.
“Jimmy Johnson came to me and was like, ‘Zach, we’re going to start you.’ He was like, ‘Don’t let me down.’ I’m like, ‘Yes, sir.’ ”
Instead of letting the Dolphins down, he lifted them up. By the end of the season, Thomas had 180 total tackles. He was named team MVP.
So, yes, he was wearing aqua and orange when they played that national anthem on opening day. Oops. Wasn’t that subject verboten?
“Don’t be making me choke up,” Thomas said. “But that national anthem that first game — special.”
Minutes after the song finished, Thomas began a career that didn’t end until he’d made 1,734 tackles. Since those records began being tracked in 1987, only four other players made more tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl seven times — more than any other Dolphins defensive player — and made All-Pro five times.
That’s a lot of accolades for a guy who didn’t play for accolades.
But they aren’t the highest individual accolade a player can receive.
This weekend changes all that.
Zach Thomas has the win.
Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter @gunnerhal.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Can Dolphins' Zach Thomas keep emotions in check entering Hall of Fame?
