The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Earl Thomas: Never a doubt
01.30.2014 | Football, Longhorn Foundation
Thomas' rise from Orange, Texas to Longhorns great to the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl is one created from unwavering belief.
Thomas Stepp, Texas Media Relations
Throughout Earl Thomas' life, from being born as his parents' miracle baby through reaching many of the ultimate heights in football, the one constant in his story has always been an absence of doubt.
Of all of the defensive backs who have come through The University of Texas, including two others who have made it to this year's Super Bowl in Michael Huff and Quentin Jammer, Thomas is as celebrated as any and accomplished what he did in a shortened timeframe on the 40 Acres.
On the heels of a freshman All-America campaign in 2008, Thomas became a consensus All-American and Thorpe Award finalist in 2009 when he broke UT's single-season interception record with eight, milestones he reached as just a redshirt sophomore.
Combined with a deep desire to provide for a family that gave him so much love and support, he knew it was time to take the next step to the NFL draft.
"It was a big decision and we all decided as a whole family," Thomas said before being drafted 14th overall. "That was one of the main reasons I came out was because of the house situation, and most of all, there was no doubt in my mind that I was ready to play in the NFL, so I made the jump."
The house situation he mentioned was one where he dreamed of moving his family into a new house. After losing the family home to Hurricane Rita in 2005, it had become one of his primary goals, which he achieved in his second year in the NFL.
The new house was located in the same city in which Thomas grew up, one that's very close to his heart -- Orange, Texas. The town has a population roughly one-fourth of the size of the average crowd he plays in front of each week in the NFL. There will be little doubt virtually every one of TV sets of the 18,000-plus residents will be tuned in to watch the former West Orange Stark High School star play for the ultimate prize.
It was also there where his story began in home full of faith that had his mother convinced his life would be special. After being diagnosed with cancer in her late 20s, Debbie Thomas was told she would have six months to live and that her best chance at survival was surgery that would leave her unable to have children.
She refused.
Her faith was later rewarded as she would not only find out that her cancer was not malignant, but just a year later, she was pregnant with Earl, leading her to call him her miracle baby.
Twenty-four years later, Earl is still her miracle baby. In six short years since his departure from West Orange Stark, he accomplished all that he did in college, has become a three-time Pro Bowler with Seattle and is headed to his first Super Bowl, a game for which he will lean on his championship game experience at Texas.
"The only experience I had like this was the National Championship," Thomas said this week. "It's not your normal routine. You got all the media and the cameras and the extra stuff you have to deal with. But, obviously I learned a lot from that experience, and I'm going to definitely apply it to this experience."
Despite a valiant effort from everyone wearing burnt orange that night in Pasadena, had it not been for an early injury to quarterback Colt McCoy, Thomas may have been looking to achieve the rare double of both a collegiate and a Super Bowl title. Ironically enough, it was McCoy standing on the opposite sideline from Thomas in the NFC Championship Game win over the San Francisco 49ers less than two weeks ago.
That game delivered Thomas and the Seahawks to the second Super Bowl in franchise history, a moment he knew would come, but it was nonetheless still awe inspiring.
"Obviously, when I got off the plane, I was in shock," Thomas said of landing in New York this week. "I saw all the fans and the police and the fire department out there and just the excitement of the fans back home. They showed us out today. As a player and competitor, you love to see a little one-year-old in your jersey. You just feed off of that because they all look up to you. It's just a great time to show, especially when God put you on a platform like this."
It's a platform that has become familiar territory for former Longhorns, especially defensive backs. Also on the 49ers' sideline in this season's NFC Championship was former Texas defensive back Tarell Brown. Brown was not only the fourth Horns DB to participate in a conference championship game this year along with Thomas, Huff and Jammer, but also was a participant in last year's Super Bowl. As it just so happens, that game too featured a UT member of the secondary on each side with Chykie Brown helping the Baltimore Ravens to a victory. It also marked the third straight year with a DB in the game after Aaron Ross won with the New York Giants in 2012.
The reputation of Texas as DBU is something that had already been established when Thomas arrived at UT, but he always knew he wanted to write his own chapter to the legacy and build on what others before him started.
Thomas recognized the amount of work it would take and it lead him to being described by former UT defensive backs coach Duane Akina as one of the most intense and competitive players he has ever coached, especially during practice. That's high praise coming from one of the architects of the defensive back tradition at Texas, and someone Thomas credits with much of his success.
"Being a DB from Texas, you know you have a reputation to live up to with all the Horns in the NFL already, so I'm going to work as hard as I can to make everyone proud," Thomas said when he announced his intension to enter the NFL in 2010.
He's doing just that, and as always is reliant on his unyielding belief in where his work ethic will take him, reveling in the challenge of facing the league's top offense and its QB Peyton Manning, who stands as one of the all-time greats.
"Especially in this type of moment, I just want to own my role and be the best free safety and communicator," Thomas said. "You definitely have to get back to the fundamentals and the basics, especially in this time of the season. You see a lot of guys that aren't tackling as well; they're not doing as well as they started. That's what it's all about -- sticking to your core beliefs, sticking to who you are, and everything else will take care of itself."
