BOBCATS 125: Joey Thomas
6/25/2022 2:00:00 PM | Football
Likely MSU's best cornerback ever, Joey Thomas helped key some suffocating Bobcat defenses
Leading to the 2022 season, the 125th anniversary of Montana State's first football team, we will look at 125 of the greatest Bobcats. You can find details here and a directory here.
Joey Thomas, CB, 2000-03
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2001, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2003
A CLOSER LOOK: Joey Thomas had many brilliant moments as a Montana State cornerback, but none greater than the blustery Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2002. The odds seemed stacked against the Bobcats that day, facing a University of Montana team that MSU hadn't beaten since 1985 which had taken up residence atop the Big Sky standings since the departure of Nevada, Idaho and Boise State. And UM's plan was made clear that week, as its head coach leveled veiled (and some not-so-veiled) criticism of Thomas. Behind star quarterback John Edwards, the Grizzlies would be attacking the Bobcat secondary, and particularly the corners, even as the conditions seemed to call for an effective ground game.
That plan didn't go so great for the home team. But it did for the Cats.
The Bobcat defense played brilliant football, holding one of the nation's top offenses to just 199 yards, 106 through the air. UM gained only 14 first downs in its 59 offensive plays. Significantly, UM was 1-for-19 passing at halftime, throwing for just 11 yards. Joey Thomas' individual stats weren't eye-popping - two tackles, one blocked kick - but his air-tight coverage directly led to the Grizzlies completing only eight passes. No UM receiver caught more than one pass that day. The Bobcats won, 10-7.
Thomas' brilliant career certainly didn't boil down to one day. He played with some of the greatest defensive backs ever to wear the Blue & Gold, legends such as Kane Ioane and those that drew less accolades but played just as key a role in the team's success like Jay Hackett and Kenny Qualls and Justin Mobley and Lamonte Bell and CJ Adkins. And there were more. But a shut-down corner is a valuable player to have, and Joey Thomas was a shut-down corner.
Opposing offenses eventually angled aerial attacks away from Thomas, but he finished his career with 37 pass breakups and 10 interceptions. He played two seasons for Green Bay and one for the Saints after his Bobcat career, and since his playing days ended has followed an even more amazing path. After coaching high school ball in his hometown of Seattle for several years he held down several roles at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas. He then moved to Florida Atlantic before joining the Texas Longhorns this off-season as a defensive analyst working with former MSU assistant Pete Kwiatkowski and former Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT HEAD COACH MIKE KRAMER: "Joey was a hugely underrated four-year starting corner from Seattle. he was a long, athletic, pro-caliber corner who transferred from Washington. He played quarterback in high school, and played every down in man coverage. He flowered under John Rushing's tutelage. He played with no fear. That was the key component to his success. The great Pete Kwiatkowski led MSU defenses from 2000 to 2003, and Joey was driven, obsessed, with great ball skills. By far he's the top cornerback in Bobcat history and it ain't even close. In fact, I believe he's one of the top 10 Bobcats of all time. He was denied a bevy of accolades by unappreciative fellow Big Sky coaches."
Joey Thomas, CB, 2000-03
ALL-TIME TEAM: None previously
HONORS: Honorable Mention All-America and 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2001, 1st Team All-Big Sky in 2003
A CLOSER LOOK: Joey Thomas had many brilliant moments as a Montana State cornerback, but none greater than the blustery Saturday before Thanksgiving in 2002. The odds seemed stacked against the Bobcats that day, facing a University of Montana team that MSU hadn't beaten since 1985 which had taken up residence atop the Big Sky standings since the departure of Nevada, Idaho and Boise State. And UM's plan was made clear that week, as its head coach leveled veiled (and some not-so-veiled) criticism of Thomas. Behind star quarterback John Edwards, the Grizzlies would be attacking the Bobcat secondary, and particularly the corners, even as the conditions seemed to call for an effective ground game.
That plan didn't go so great for the home team. But it did for the Cats.
The Bobcat defense played brilliant football, holding one of the nation's top offenses to just 199 yards, 106 through the air. UM gained only 14 first downs in its 59 offensive plays. Significantly, UM was 1-for-19 passing at halftime, throwing for just 11 yards. Joey Thomas' individual stats weren't eye-popping - two tackles, one blocked kick - but his air-tight coverage directly led to the Grizzlies completing only eight passes. No UM receiver caught more than one pass that day. The Bobcats won, 10-7.
Thomas' brilliant career certainly didn't boil down to one day. He played with some of the greatest defensive backs ever to wear the Blue & Gold, legends such as Kane Ioane and those that drew less accolades but played just as key a role in the team's success like Jay Hackett and Kenny Qualls and Justin Mobley and Lamonte Bell and CJ Adkins. And there were more. But a shut-down corner is a valuable player to have, and Joey Thomas was a shut-down corner.
Opposing offenses eventually angled aerial attacks away from Thomas, but he finished his career with 37 pass breakups and 10 interceptions. He played two seasons for Green Bay and one for the Saints after his Bobcat career, and since his playing days ended has followed an even more amazing path. After coaching high school ball in his hometown of Seattle for several years he held down several roles at Fort Scott Junior College in Kansas. He then moved to Florida Atlantic before joining the Texas Longhorns this off-season as a defensive analyst working with former MSU assistant Pete Kwiatkowski and former Bobcat head coach Jeff Choate.
FROM FORMER BOBCAT HEAD COACH MIKE KRAMER: "Joey was a hugely underrated four-year starting corner from Seattle. he was a long, athletic, pro-caliber corner who transferred from Washington. He played quarterback in high school, and played every down in man coverage. He flowered under John Rushing's tutelage. He played with no fear. That was the key component to his success. The great Pete Kwiatkowski led MSU defenses from 2000 to 2003, and Joey was driven, obsessed, with great ball skills. By far he's the top cornerback in Bobcat history and it ain't even close. In fact, I believe he's one of the top 10 Bobcats of all time. He was denied a bevy of accolades by unappreciative fellow Big Sky coaches."
Leon Costello Press Conference: Kennedy-Stark Athletic Center
Thursday, July 31
A Conversation with President Dr. Waded Cruzado | Montana State Athletics
Monday, May 19
Big Cats, Little Trucks - Willie Patterson
Wednesday, May 03
Matt Houk Introductory Press Conference
Wednesday, May 03
