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Memory of Thomas Not Enough to Carry Chiefs to Victory
Sept. 3, 2000
Edith Morgan greeted and hugged each Chiefs player who emerged from the tunnel and onto the lush Arrowhead Stadium turf.
"They're all my sons now," said Morgan, the mother of the late Derrick Thomas, whose memory was celebrated before Sunday afternoon's season opener against the Indianapolis Colts.
"I said, `DT is going to be out there with you,' " Morgan said. " `Play the game as if he's there.' "
The Chiefs played their first regular-season game since Thomas, the cornerstone of the franchise for 11 years, died in February from injuries resulting from an automobile accident.
Not coincidentally, the Chiefs lost to the Colts 27-14, snapping an NFL-longest streak of 11 straight victories in home openers, or every opener since Thomas joined the team as its No. 1 draft pick in 1989.
Memories of Thomas permeated the thoughts of the players from both teams, as well as the crowd of 78,357, who were greeted with temperatures only in the 90s and a second-quarter rain shower.
"I think Derrick was with us today and gave us that cloud cover," said Chiefs linebacker Lew Bush. "We were expecting 105 degrees, but we had some great conditions to play out there."
Before the kickoff, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt and president/general manager Carl Peterson presented Morgan with 11 red and yellow roses, symbolic of the 11 seasons Thomas spent with the Chiefs.
That was followed by a four-minute, 20-second tribute to Thomas on the video board showing Thomas sacking John Elway and Steve Young, delivering the keynote address at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, handing out holiday dinners to families in Kansas City, being honored as the 1000th Point of Light by President George Bush, and riding in the cockpit of a fighter jet in honor of his father, Robert, an Air Force captain who was shot down and killed in 1972 during a mission in Vietnam.
"There's a lot more to today than a football game because of the unfortunate passing of one of the most noted players in this team's history, and the great tribute they had today makes it more special," said former Chiefs linebacker Willie Lanier, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
After a moment of silence, Tami Hart, a friend of Thomas', performed the national anthem, highlighted by a flyover featuring a B-52 aircraft from the Air Force base in Barksdale, La.
Morgan, who was accompanied by her six children, had attended the two home exhibition games but was not prepared for Sunday's outpouring of emotion.
"I knew the Chiefs loved him, I knew that the city loved him, but the love and the support they've shown today has been great," said Morgan, wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with a red No. 58 helmet and the words "Your Eternal Flame Will Burn in Our Hearts Forever."
Among those on the sidelines before the game were Marty Schottenheimer, the Chiefs' head coach during Thomas' first 10 seasons, and former running back Marcus Allen. Both now work for television networks but wanted to be in Kansas City for this moment.
"The realization that Derrick is gone is always revisited when you see that," Schottenheimer said of the video tribute. "Being here and knowing it was going to be foremost in a lot of the fans' minds, it was good to be a part of that."
Thomas' former teammates clearly were inspired at the start of the game. Middle linebacker Marvcus Patton stopped the Colts' first drive by ripping a fumble from running back Edgerrin James, and linebacker Donnie Edwards blunted the next drive with an interception.
"We missed Derrick's sacks," Edwards said of Thomas' ability to get to the quarterback. "He was always coming up with the sack."
The Colts were equally moved by the passion in the stadium.
Colts linebacker Cornelius Bennett, a teammate of Thomas' at the University of Alabama, provided tickets to Sunday's game for 200 students from the Third and Long Foundation, the program Thomas initiated to promote literacy among inner-city children.
"I knew coming into the game what they were doing," Bennett said of the pre-game ceremonies. "I hope it's not the last time the fans think about Derrick. ... That's why I did this, as far his foundation is concerned, because we have to keep his dream alive."
Eventually, the focus turned to football, and the Colts pulled away by scoring 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. The 13-point margin tied for the Chiefs' worst home-opening loss since 1977. The Chiefs have lost just six home openers since a 23-7 loss to San Diego in 1977.
"I've played here several times before, and it's one of the few times I've come in here and won," said Bennett, recalling 33-6 and 23-7 losses his Super Bowl-bound Buffalo teams absorbed in the early 1990s. "It's very special to win a game here."
The only consolation to Chiefs fans was the cooler-than-expected weather. Activity at the first-aid station was light.
"The overcast skies were a godsend for us," said Gene Barr, director of security for Arrowhead Stadium. "The temperature is only 91 degrees, and we've treated less than a dozen people."
from kc star
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