Dolphins' Zach Thomas enters Hall of Fame, remembers Junior Seau

CANTON, Ohio — Speaking on the 27th anniversary of the day he was named starting middle linebacker of the Dolphins, Zach Thomas was poignant when addressing his family, including brothers-in-law who urged his now-wife to never date an NFL player. He poked fun at fans of the Dolphins’ rivals. He warned ex-teammate Larry Izzo not to flaunt his Super Bowl rings at Thomas’ party Saturday night.

When he thanked Jimmy Johnson for drafting him, it was Johnson, not Thomas, who was brought to tears.

Just when it seemed Thomas would get through his enshrinement speech for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he couldn’t.

He reached in the pocket of his jacket for a tissue.

Zach Thomas always comes prepared.

“There’s one person whose name I’ve yet to mention,” Thomas said. “His poster was on my wall in college, and he’s everything I wanted to be in a football player. He was my inspiration.”

It was Junior Seau, who played linebacker alongside Thomas for three seasons starting in 2003, died in 2012 and was enshrined in 2015.

“He was my teammate and my friend,” Thomas said. “Though he’s not here physically, he’s here in a bust, in that building behind me. I’m truly honored to join him. Junior Seau, I love you, buddy.”

Zach Thomas, Kevin Mawae: How epic rivals formed Hall of Fame bond for the ages

It was a perfectly bright Saturday afternoon in northeast Ohio as the Hall welcomed nine members. This was a day to celebrate — strange as this may sound in this era — defense. The Class of 2023 comprises seven defensive players, one coach and one offensive tackle, marking the first time this century that not a single offensive skill player was enshrined.

Thomas was included thanks to, he said, not being able to get on the field as an offensive player in his younger days and thankfully switching to defense. His youth had its share of times when his trip to Canton could have been derailed.

“At 2 years old, I was run over by a pickup truck,” Thomas told the crowd, which included a huge Dolfans presence wearing No. 54 jerseys. “But you know what saved me that day? Dirt. If it was on concrete or pavement, I wouldn’t be standing here right now. I took a lot of dirt roads to get here.”

Those dirt roads, all through Texas, eventually led to Davie, where he was renowned for his study habits that belied Zach the student, he said.

“I was never labeled smart — trust me,” he said. “I got held back before I even got to kindergarten. How do you get held back before you get to school?”

Thomas, forever humble, spent a huge percentage of his allotted time thanking dozens who helped him get where he is after being drafted a mere 154th overall in 1996. Johnson finally took a flier when nobody else would. Neither man could have even fantasized at that point they'd be on a stage in Canton, unveiling a bust. Thomas called his likeness "great," even if it wasn't a major challenge for the artist.

"They pretty much just had to make a square," he said.

Thomas thanked teammates, including his initial roommate, best friend and eventual New England Patriot, Larry Izzo.

“You finished with three rings, man,” Thomas said to Izzo. “Real jerk. Don’t you be wearing those rings to my party tonight.”

Derrick Rodgers, who also lined up alongside Thomas, received a plug. It was Rodgers who looked after Thomas amid his 1,734 career tackles. Rodgers said if he wasn’t sure Thomas came out of a collision in one piece, he’d administer a test on the bench:

Rodgers: “You got that money you owe me?”

Thomas: “I owe you money?”

Rodgers: “For real? You gonna try to play like you’re not going to give it to me?”

Thomas (after a few rounds): “I don’t owe you any money.” (It was only then that Rodgers was satisfied.)

Defensive lineman Tim Bowens, predictably, also earned a special mention.

“You were a bad man, Timbo,” Thomas said. “There was nothing more reassuring than seeing your big butt in front of me on Sundays.”

Notably, he singled out Jason Taylor, his fellow Hall of Famer and former brother-in-law who was not in attendance.

“I was honored to play beside you,” Thomas said. “You’re the best and most intense competitor I ever played with and father to my nieces and nephews.”

Thomas thanked scores of coaches, from his high school career through the pros, including Bob Sanders, his linebackers coach for four seasons, even though Sanders said it was Thomas who helped make him a better coach.

“He made sure that the things I told him were the right things,” Sanders said. “And then we tried a lot of different things and he would come and say, ‘Hey, Coach Bob, that doesn’t work. Can we try this?’ ”

To Dolphins fans, Thomas indirectly referred to his three previous times as a finalist when he didn’t get in.

“You mean the world to me,” Thomas said. “When I looked up in the stands and saw you wearing my 54, I knew I couldn’t let you down. Thanks for believing in me until the very end, and thank you for even putting pressure on the Hall of Fame to get me here.”

Thomas tipped his cap to fans of the Jets, Bills and Patriots: “Despite all the things you screamed at me, threw at me and did to me, don’t tell anybody this: I really enjoyed it and I still do.”

As promised, Thomas took a moment to recognize his nemesis, Jets center Kevin Mawae, who stumped for Thomas to be enshrined during his own Hall of Fame speech.

“You’re one of the best and toughest opponents I’ve ever faced,” Thomas told Mawae. “And I’m not even feeling real comfortable to see you sitting behind me. But I’m relieved to see you out of that ugly, green jacket and wearing a gold one.”

The tougher part came when Thomas talked about his family. Thomas’ old teammates had an inkling this would be tough sledding. They were banking on it in the pool to predict when he’d tear up (no word on who collected).

Turning to wife Maritza, Thomas thanked her “for not listening to your brothers when they told you not to date an NFL football player. It’s true. And both of them got my jersey on right now. It’s crazy.”

Thomas’ job now is as a dad and part-time driver to whatever game or activity they’re up to next. To Valentina, Sienna and Christian, he said: “There’s no greater honor than being your dad. I’ve gone from doing everything I could to reach my dreams to doing everything I can to help you reach yours.”

Thomas closed just as he began. He pointed to the calendar. It was on Aug. 5 in 1996 when Johnson told him he was promoting him to starter. It’s on Aug. 5 in 2023 that his enshrinement became official.

“This is a dream come true for this small-town country boy to be standing on this stage with all these legends behind me,” Thomas said. “My football career has come full circle.”

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @gunnerhal.