Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Sept. 1, 1995, edition 1 / Page 18
Part of Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
10 Friday, September 1,1995 In his four years at UNC, Mike Thomas has seen it all: injuries, quarterback controversy, a bowl victory and bench time. But finally, V there is no question, Mike Thomas is... 1 i " \ \ 'Tlrraniife'' i ABOVE: Thomas walks off the field after leading UNC to a dramatic 41-40 victory over Duke last year. He threw two 66-yard-plus touchdowns to Octavus Barnes in 1994. BEU)W: Thomas had a rough 1993 season, enduring two injuries and losing the starting job to Jason Stanicek. OTH FILE PHOTOS ——m me nrmen- weigned neavily on lus mind. He ailed to m HHk IB SonCt "* - jHg l|-4 * : ‘ tfeLA- - H3 '^P—■ js&j -, ~i& -■ .... _.** ■'„. ;• -*?•*..- ‘Jay *-m|£v' ** .-IKBSP** a.. *V %“H%y’V‘, y>k.-i , ,■■> ‘ -• ■ * .~,- r v<w-aWCtSOjp ~..t - i-' ' '■*' v •'4 * • ** . * BY JUSTIN SCHEEF senior votier It’s really easy to be a nay-sayer. Mike Thomas has heard all the doubters, the critics, all the people who wanted to bring him down. As soon as he left high school, he heard them. Sports Illustrated took one ofthe first jabs at Thomas, just months after he had gradu ated from Richmond County High School. Si’s 1990 college preview said, “Thomas... may never climb Chapel Hill.” Five years later, not only is Mike Thomas on top, he is king of the Hill. Believe it or not, the Hamlet native’s five year odyssey from Richmond County standout to UNC’s starting quarterback has finally reached its pinnacle. And what an odyssey it has been for die 23-year-old. He failed to qualify academically and attended Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia in 1990-91. He was injured three times, once in his freshman year in 1991 and twice in 1993. And he dealt with a quarter back controversy in which Coach Mack Brown kept everyone guessing who would start each week. At any point during this odyssey, Tho mas could have quit. He could have trans ferred. He could have become a full-time baseball player, as he was already playing professionally during the summers. But Tho mas elected to stay in Chapel Hill. And now he hopes it pays off this year. “Mike is the type of person who is willing to compete in any situation,” said Gerald Carr, the former UNC quarterbacks coach who now handles the Philadelphia Eagles’ wide receivers. “He is a good model of persistency. When you’re persistent and you keep trying, then eventually it’s yours.” And the 1995 Tar Heels are Aisteam. This year, Thomas will try to fulfill the tremen dous expectations that were put on him when he arrived at North Carolina. Om of LC.'s tratMt When compiling a list ofNorth Carolina’s best high school quarterbacks in the past several years, a few names come to mind — Heath Shuler, Donnie Davis and Trot Nixon. Mike Thomas deserves to be alongside those names, perhaps even at the top of the list. He was the state player ofthe year twice, leading Richmond County to a three-year 40-3 record and back-to-back 15-0 seasons, in 1988 and 1989. His name appeared on every All-America list, both as a quarter back and a punter. No wonder Brown, whose career record at UNC was 2-20 when he recruited Tho mas, was interested in his services. USA Today featured Thomas in 1989, touting his national punting prowess. At one point during his senior year, Thomas led all punters at any level with a 49.6 average. As the team’s quarterback, Thomasdomi nated as well, often throwing TDs to future UNC teammate Oscar Sturgis, then a tight end. Thomas passed for 1,451 yards and 20 TDs in his senior year. “Lookat our scores: 51-12,57-9,57-7,61- 0, 55-20,” Richmond County coach Daryl Barnes told USA Today. “You can’t leave a kid in when those are the scores.” Barnes, now the principal at North Asheboro Middle School, said Thomas’ ability to persevere through adversity was evident even in high school. “I can remember a night when Mike was a junior, when his mother was having some pretty serious surgery in the hospital, and Mike elected to play football," Barnes said. “He had an unbelievable game that night despite all that stuff on his mind.” Thomas’ academic difficulites also weighed heavily on his mind. He failed to FOOTBA! get the required 700 on his SAT in numerous attempts and thus attended Fork Union be fore arriving at UNC in the fell of 1991. When Thomas finally strode on campus, the program was in transition, on the verge of moving to the next level—a bowl trip. *■ MmM Fmfcm Smsm Thomas was supposed to succeed the quarterback duo Brown implemented in 1990 and 1991 Chuclde Burnette and Todd Burnett. Added to the mix was a gawky looking kid from Illinois—freshman quar terback Jason Stanicek. The plan that year was to redshirt Stanicek, who would later go on to break Charlie Justice's UNC record for total of fense, and play Thomas when needed, be cause he was a year older. Thomas did play in two games, seeing spot action in Cincinnati and William & Maryblowouts. Butinhiseighthplayagainst the Tribe, Thomas was sacked from the blind side and fumbled. The result: a tom ligament in his right thumb and a season ending injury. He sat out the test ofthe year and qualified for a medical redshirt. When the Bumettfe) duo went down with injuries later that year, Brown inserted Stanicek in the final four games. “We felt for the future of our program, we needed to get a young freshman ready,” Brown said after Stanicek’s first game. “We felt like with four weeks left, if (Stanicek) could handle it emotionally, we felt like we needed to go ahead and play Jason so he and Mike wouldn’t be in the same class.” Stanicek handled it well. He won three of four and saved UNC’s season, almost gain ing a bowl bid. Those last four games set up a quarterback controversy that wouldn' t end until Stanicek finished his career last season. ■adftOßMitttnMl As the 1992 season opened, Brown wouldn't reveal his plans for the starting quarterback position. “We’ll play one of them on the first se ries," Brown said that preseason. “If they score, then we 11 let them go out there and do it again. If they score again, then we’D let them do it again. But if he struggles, then we’re going to have to put the other one in the game.” And that’s how it went all season. Brown went with the hot hand, playing both QBs throughout the season. Thomas started only three regular-season games in wins vs. Furman, Georgia Tech and Maryland—as well as going the distance in a 21-17 victory over Mississippi State in the Peach Bowl, Brown’s first bowl game as UNC’s coach. Thomas’ best game that year was a 299- yard performanceoffthebench against Duke, a game won by UNC 31-28. He hit Bucky Brooks for two TD passes, including the game winner in the final two minutes. Of course, for every game that Thomas was the hero, there were also games where he stood and watched. Against N.C. State and Florida State—two ofthe biggest games of that year Thomas saw no action at quarterback; coach’s decision. Those times tried Thomas. “(The quarterback situation) helped me build more character,” Thomas said. “I learned from that. I could have gone the other way, I could have transferred or quit playing football, but that’s not me. “It was something I had to live with and play through and have faith in God. He wasn’t going to let me make a bad decision. ” Thomas’ patience was rewarded in the Peach Bowl, and he seemed set to challenge Stanicek again for file QB job. That was
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 1, 1995, edition 1
18
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75