This past Friday, West Lauderdale High School alumnus Richard Thomas and his Old Dominion teammates wrapped up their season with a 24-20 win to Eastern Michigan in the Popeye’s Bahamas Bowl.

Making a bowl game was a satisfying conclusion for Thomas, especially since the Monarchs had just missed one his junior season when they went 5-7. A 2013 graduate of West Lauderdale, Thomas spent his first two years at Pearl River Community College before transferring to Old Dominion in 2015. 

The Monarchs had made their move from Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision the previous year, so the Bahamas Bowl marked the first bowl game in program history, making the accomplishment all the more special.

“We’re the first team to do this, so our names will forever be in Old Dominion history,” Thomas said.

Prior to the bowl game, Thomas admitted he was struggling to study for finals with a trip to the Bahamas on his mind all throughout December.

“I’m excited to be making history, and this is my first trip to the Bahamas,” Thomas said at the time.

After starting the season 1-2, the Monarchs won eight of their next nine games, finishing second in the Conference-USA Eastern Division. Their only loss was to Western Kentucky, which won the C-USA championship. Individually, going into the bowl game, Thomas had 16 tackles on the year and was second on the team with 10 special teams tackles.

“We just came together,” Thomas said of Old Dominion’s run. “After we lost to Appalachian State, that’s when we began to play as a family and a team, and had success.”

Making a bowl game meant spending extra time on Old Dominion’s campus in Norfolk, Va., during the holidays when most students were at home. During bowl game practice, Thomas said the campus felt like a ghost town.

“There are a couple of people around campus, but not as many as usual,” Thomas said at the time. “When I went to Subway, I was the only person in line, and usually there’s a line out the door.”

As much as he wanted to be home in Collinsville with his family and friends, Thomas did say he would come home following the bowl game. When staying on campus means a trip to the Bahamas is in store, Thomas said the sacrifice was worthwhile.

“I’m going to go down there and enjoy my closing moments with my teammates, since I’m a senior,” Thomas said before the game.

With the game being his final one as a college athlete, Thomas said he’s come to appreciate his experience at Old Dominion, even if it is a long way from his home in Mississippi.

“I was walking around campus thinking about how much I’ll miss being up here around my teammates and being in Virginia,” Thomas said. 

A sports management major, Thomas said his attention is now turned toward a future career.

“Our coaches have been working with us to get a plan going for the future,” Thomas said. “I’ve been talking to donors and keeping in contact with them, and once I get a degree, hopefully they’ll hire me for their business.”

His career may be winding down, but Thomas did have some advice for prospective college athletes.

“If I could go back and give guys advice, I would say don’t just blow one offer off,” Thomas said. “Just enjoy the whole process. It’s fun, and it’s stressful, but once you make you’re decision, you have to live with it, so make the most out of it.”

Thomas is the son of Richard and Kimberly Thomas.