Duane Thomas question

[Halas Hall]

I notice Duane Thomas appears in the Green Bay Packers' 1979 Media Guide.

Was he so talented that teams would sign him even after long layoffs from football? I never saw him play.

Thank you.
Nick

[Brian wolf]

RIP

Bob Lilly compared Thomas to Jim Brown. He could have had a great career but butted heads with Tex Schramm, who tried to trade him rather than pay him. Had he just stayed focused on football, the sky was the limit, but the business side got under his skin, which is understandable.

[JohnTurney]

I notice Duane Thomas appears in the Green Bay Packers' 1979 Media Guide.

Was he so talented that teams would sign him even after long layoffs from football? I never saw him play.

Thank you.
Nick

Yes he was that talented --early in his career and somehow teams kept thinking they could get the 1971-72 Thomas after he was never stunning in Washington ... and even less so in WFL.

Cowboys signed him in 1976, pulled a hammy right away --- didn't make the team -- The CFL Lions kicked the tires 1977.


In midseason 1978 when Packers had injury a RB, Thomas wrote an open letter to Bart Starr saying he wanted to try out and be Middleton's backup. Apparently it came close to happening -- he was in the facility, reporters saw him and reported it -- Starr was furious ... no decision had been made, it was a tryout and he wasn't signed and then Starr let him use the facilities to workout or something against rules --- cost the Packers a draft pick.

Then in 1979 Pack did sign him and gave him a chance.

There are games on YT you can find to watch him to see what you think. He went vegetarian at some point in mid-1970s, got down to 200 pounds lost his power ... but I guess put some back on ... but teams thought they could catch lightning in a bottle with him. My thoughts are he looked good but that was then, 1975 was much different. And after that, all he was able to be was a camp body...

[SixtiesFan]

RIP

Bob Lilly compared Thomas to Jim Brown. He could have had a great career but butted heads with Tex Schramm, who tried to trade him rather than pay him. Had he just stayed focused on football, the sky was the limit, but the business side got under his skin, which is understandable.

in those days players had little bargaining power. A RB would have to go way over a 1000 to get a big raise. Around Super Bowl VI Jim Brown showed up as an advisor to Thomas but didn't last long.

There is a chapter in Brown's 1964 book, "Off my Chest," on his salary negotiations with Paul Brown. Jim Brown told how he made an effort to get the public on his side when trying for a raise in pay. This was a tactic Duane Thomas was oblivious to. But it was hard, if not impossible for any player to get a big salary from the Cowboys.

The Cowboys kept the salaries for their stars as low as possible so when others asked for a raise they were turned down. At a Pro Bowl in the early 70s, Bob Lilly found out that Merlin Olsen, a comparable player about the same age, was making 40-50 thousand a year more than he was.

[Citizen]

In midseason 1978 when Packers had injury a RB, Thomas wrote an open letter to Bart Starr saying he wanted to try out and be Middleton's backup. Apparently it came close to happening -- he was in the facility, reporters saw him and reported it -- Starr was furious ... no decision had been made, it was a tryout and he wasn't signed and then Starr let him use the facilities to workout or something against rules --- cost the Packers a draft pick.

One small correction: They were docked a draft choice for illegally working out college players earlier in '78; the team was cleared of wrongdoing by the league in the Thomas matter for reasons that were never explained.

But Starr's handling of the situation was not good. He asked the reporters who uncovered the violation (one of whom contributes here) to keep it quiet, and all, to their credit, declined. That led to him temporarily banning them from the Packer locker room, and that later festered into genuine bad blood between Starr and the media that marred the rest of his tenure there. He even received the "Idi Amin Award" one year from the NFL's P.R. office as the worst head coach to cover.

[JohnTurney]

One small correction: They were docked a draft choice for illegally working out college players earlier in '78; the team was cleared of wrongdoing by the league in the Thomas matter for reasons that were never explained.

But Starr's handling of the situation was not good. He asked the reporters who uncovered the violation (one of whom contributes here) to keep it quiet, and all, to their credit, declined. That led to him temporarily banning them from the Packer locker room, and that later festered into genuine bad blood between Starr and the media that marred the rest of his tenure there. He even received the "Idi Amin Award" one year from the NFL's P.R. office as the worst head coach to cover.

Thanks for the correction. I didn't know they were cleared on the Duane Thomas situation. I know the draft choice they lost in 1978 was for something else-- it was way before Thomas signed. But I mistakenly thought they lost a pick in a later draft. I appreciate getting the accurate information, though. Had that part wrong.

[JohnTurney]

The Cowboys kept the salaries for their stars as low as possible so when others asked for a raise they were turned down. At a Pro Bowl in the early 70s, Bob Lilly found out that Merlin Olsen, a comparable player about the same age, was making 40-50 thousand a year more than he was.

When Lilly confronted Gil Brandt about it he told Lilly that those guys (Olsen and Deacon Jones) were teasing him about how much they made -- as in they were not getting what they said they were.

[Bryan]

When Lilly confronted Gil Brandt about it he told Lilly that those guys (Olsen and Deacon Jones) were teasing him about how much they made -- as in they were not getting what they said they were.

Good stuff of Gil Brandt (of all people) calling Merlin Olsen a liar. Father Murphy would never lie! At the end of the 1981 Rams highlight film, there is a segment of a luncheon honoring Merlin Olsen's PFHOF induction...its must-see viewing.