It wasn't to be, but Thomas lead the Bills to three more Super Bowl appearances, won a league MVP and was a six-time All-Pro selection. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Today, Thomas's eyes are big again. No, the 42-year old isn't looking to make a comeback (though he still looks like he could) but the mere mention of football transforms Thurman into third-down-and-one-mode. His fists clinch, he rocks in his chair impatiently and his eyes....well, any Bills fan could tell you about those eyes.
At first, I didn't understand Thomas's latest venture: a part-ownership role with Indoor Football League team the Rochester Raiders. Why indoor football? Isn't that like Hemingway investing in coloring books? Why would Thomas, who is from Houston, Texas, want to hang around Rochester? Is he looking to lose money on purpose? Look at the AFL!
Thurman answers all my inquiries with two words: "it's football."
Though the general idea of the interview was to talk indoor football, Thurman would rather talk Bills.
He has been vocal since moving back to Buffalo in 2007, even being quoted as saying he could barely stand to watch Buffalo play. But since his statement, the Bills made an unprecedented signing in Terrell Owens. Thurman, your thoughts? "I love it," he says. "They should go out and sign Tank Johnson and Pacman Jones too. Anything to get them going."
The way Thurman is talking, I think if I said "hike" he'd block me to the ground like a blitzing Bryan Cox. "Oh man, if Terrell had gotten in Kelly's face, Jim would have punched him right out!" Thurman says as if he was in the pre-game huddle.
If you have ever seen a pre-schooler squirm in church, you'd know how hard it is for Thurman to stay in his chair when the Bills are brought up. And with Thurman, they come up a lot. If you talked about politics, he'd talk Jack Kemp. If you talked about weather, he'd talk Miami Hurricanes (Kelly's alma mater). If you said NASA, he'd talk about James Lofton's break away speed.
Thomas attributes the Bills recent struggles to a lackluster locker room. "I walked in there (the locker room) and nobody was saying anything. When I was there, Darryl (Talley) would be up yelling getting everyone pumped."
About that indoor football Thurman.....OK, never mind, this is too much fun. Let's talk about Marshawn Lynch's off-field problems. "At first, I was like 'trade him,'" Thomas says. "But now I think they should give him another chance. He's still young."
Though his tone has transformed from excited to serious, his eyes stay big. "I was an only child," he says quietly. "My mom told me a long time ago, if you are going to hang out, hang out with the right people. I had friends who were always behind me."
Since he's been back in Western New York, Thomas has done some recruiting for his new team, bringing in players he has met at his training facility, "Thurman Thomas Sports Training." According to Thurman, around 80 percent of the Raiders talent is home-grown. "When you have that many players (from Western New York) it brings everybody together," he says.
Finally talking about the IFL, Thurman mentions the one thing that makes his fists clinch a little less tightly and his eyes a little less fierce: his son. "My son is so excited," he says. "He keeps asking me 'when does football start?' You know, he plays all sports and wears No. 34, too."
It is yet to be seen whether Thomas's investment will be valiant or tragic. But, it's obvious that there was more to Thurman's game than yards-per-carry, receptions or pancake blocks. It was his passion and intensity that carried the Bills in the 90's. If his new team, the Rochester Raiders, can adopt a fraction their new co-owner's qualities, they will be unstoppable.
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