Feature Story /// Eric Thomas, Jefferson City High School
Coming Home
Story By: Tom Loeffler Photography By: Jason Allabaugh
It was a warm evening in June, a moment Eric Thomas will never forget. thought, ‘Man, I’m really here doing this.’ I’ve had a few moments like that.” moment. Earlier that day, it was announced that Thomas, a 1993 coach of his alma mater. He felt like he’d been handed the keys to the kingdom. they all left, I went out to the stadium in the snow,” Thomas said. “I was in awe of being there. There were a lot of prayers, a lot of thought.
tinue that history and build on that history, I’m really excited about it.” program in Missouri, it was considered one of the best in the nation. “A lot of people have a lot of pride in this program and want it to be great again,” Thomas continued. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”
8 /// August 2024
sure. But historically for the program built by legendary coach Pete Adkins, it was nothing special. That’s how high this bar had been set.
seasons that resulted in six of the program’s 10 state champion- ships from 1984-94. For Pete’s sake, they were good. “I go to work every day and it’s really not like going to work,” Thom- as, 49, said. “It’s really exciting to see all that history on the wall and to know you’re a part of it. Now, we’re trying to build for the future.” who retired after the 1994 season --- and after winning four state and 1991. The team in 1992, Thomas’s senior season, was perhaps the best team in program history to NOT win a state championship. “It still hurts every day when you walk in there and the ‘92 state
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