GROVETON — With tears and applause from a full stadium, the Groveton ISD football field was renamed the Rodney Thomas Memorial Field on Friday.
The former student athlete, Thomas led the Groveton Indians to 32 consecutive victories and back-to-back 2A state championships in 1989 and 1990. He finished his high school career with 8,441 rushing yards, 115 touchdowns, and still ranks as one of the top all-time rushers in Texas history.
After high school Rodney joined the Texas A&M Aggies where he rushed for 3,014 career yards from 1991 to 1994. As an Aggie, he earned All Southwest Conference honors in 1993, and 1994 and during his time at A&M the Aggies never lost at Kyle Field. In 1994 his teammates gave him the Aggie Heart Award, an award for a Texas A&M senior football player who demonstrates effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, leadership, and courage.
In 1995 Rodney was selected by the Houston Oilers in the third round of the NFL draft and he would spend seven seasons in the NFL playing for the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons before retiring in 2002. The same year he retired from the NFL he was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame, and in 2006 he was inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame.
“He made the greatest impact on his teammates of all the guys I've ever coached,'' said former Texas A&M head football coach R.C. Slocum. “He was a great football player, but more importantly, he was one of the finest young men that I have ever met. He was so kind, considerate and unselfish. He impacted all that met him in a positive way. He was one of the most remarkable young men I ever met and made a lasting impression on anyone he ever met. He made our teams better because he was such a quality human being."
As well as being a phenomenal athlete on the field, his character off the field truly made him special.
Thomas was well known for his acts of kindness toward others. His caring and compassionate demeanor was evident to everyone he encountered. Most importantly, he left a legacy for future generations to follow, and he still serves as a reminder of how we should all treat one another.
He was loved and respected by his teammates, coaches, and even his fellow competitors at every level of the game.
