MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / February 16, 2000

The NFL season, which was so bright with teams like St. Louis and Tennesseereaching the Super Bowl, turned cloudy last week with the deaths of Derrick Thomas and Tom Landry.

Thomas died of a blood clot Tuesday after being paralyzed in a car accident last month. Landry passed away Saturday after a long bout with leukemia.Both made an impact on both the game and those around them.

Thomas founded the Third and Long program in Kansas City and was one of President George Bush’s 1,000 Points of Light. Landry influenced countlessnumbers of players in his 29 years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.

Thomas’ father was an Air Force pilot killed in Vietnam, ironically during Operation Linebacker II. His son would go on to become one of the premierlinebackers in the game, with his best game coming appropriately on Veteran’s Day in 1990 when he recorded an NFL-record seven sacks against Seattle.

Landry was himself an Army Air Corps pilot during World War II, flying 30 bomber missions. He went on to a career in the NFL before becoming anassistant coach with the New York Giants in 1954. From there, he becameone of the most successful coaches in NFL history with 270 victories and two Super Bowl titles.

Ironically, if Landry was a coach in today’s NFL, he probably would never had gotten a chance to achieve that success. His first Dallas team went 0-11-1.He did not have a winning record until his seventh season and then, amazingly, had 20 in a row. Landry was then criticized for not being able towin “the big one.” Super Bowl titles in Super Bowls VI and XII, both in NewOrleans, changed that.

Both Thomas’ and Landry’s careers ended aruptly. Thomas’ with his caraccident in January and Landry’ with his being fired by Jerry Jones in 1989.

The NFL was already having a rough offseason with the charges against Ray Lewis and the aftermath of the Rae Carruth incident. Now, when it couldleast afford it, it loses two of the classiest members associated with the game. Both Thomas and Landry will truly be missed by the game that theydedicated so much to.

Speaking of the NFL and its offseason, fans will truly need a scorecard to find where their favorite players are playing next season. Players such asJeff Blake, Bruce Smith, Joey Galloway and Dan Marino have already switched teams or have become free agents. Others such as Steve Young, Jerry Riceand Deion Sanders could follow.

And fans wonder how the landscape of the league could have changed so fast last season. It could be even more different this season. So, Tiger Woods’ remarkable win streak has finally come to an end. Just goesto show how remarkable Lord Byron Nelson’s streak of 11 straight wins is.

Had Woods completed still another comeback and beaten Phil Mickelson Sunday, he still would have had four more tournaments to go. With the talentpool getting deeper and deeper on the PGA Tour, Nelson’s streak could very well stand the test of time.

Finally, you were a good man, Charles Schultz. Thank you for the years oflaughter and wisdom. You will be missed.

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