ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, July 3, 1996 TAG: 9607030032
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: TECH NOTES
SOURCE: RANDY KING STAFF WRITER
A freak injury apparently has cost former Virginia Tech standout Dwayne Thomas a job in the NFL this fall.
After shining in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' free-agent camp in May, Thomas' pro aspirations were jolted by an odd occurrence on the Tech campus in mid-June. While playing a casual game of catch with ex-Hokie receiver Jermaine Holmes, Thomas tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
"It was just a freak accident,'' Thomas said. "Jermaine and I were just throwing the ball around. I went up to make a catch, came down, and my left leg straightened out.
"I mean, I could still walk on it. I thought I had just twisted it or it was just a bruise or something. But when I went back to Tampa's next camp, they took an X-ray and said I had torn the ACL. I couldn't believe it.''
Thomas, who finished his career in 1995 as Tech's fourth all-time leading rusher (2,696 yards), said the Bucs virtually had assured him a tailback's job this fall.
"They had been impressed with my pass-catching ability. They basically told me that I had made the team,'' said Thomas, who had signed a two-year free-agent contract with the Bucs after he wasn't selected in the seven-round NFL draft.
Then came the game of catch ... and the injury.
"It's a tough break for me,'' said Thomas, a native of Fort Myers, Fla. ``It was tough on me, tough on my family. I had never had a problem with any of my knees before. I definitely didn't expect it. I had expected to be in Tampa Bay a long time.''
Rick Clark, Thomas' agent, said Bucs rookie head coach Tony Dungy had ``fallen in love with Dwayne.''
"Tony told me that Dwayne's ability to catch the ball had added a dimension the Bucs didn't have,'' Clark said. "They were devastated to hear the news [Thomas' injury].''
Thomas underwent surgery on the knee last week in Blacksburg. By Tuesday, he was ready to start the long road back.
"I'm about ready to start rehabbing,'' he said. "Hey, it's tough but I've had to overcome things before.''
Instead of suiting up in the NFL, Thomas said he will spend this fall completing his degree requirements at Tech. He is a couple classes short of graduation.
"If there's anything good about this, that's it,'' said Thomas, "I now have an opportunity to finish school.''
STILL SIGNING: Bryan Still, the ex-Tech flanker who was taken by San Diego in the second round of the NFL Draft, has signed a three-year contract with the Chargers.
Clark, who also serves as Still's agent, said he couldn't release the financial numbers of Still's deal.
"I will say that Bryan's contract has a lot of incentive clauses, which if he meets, will guarantee a salary far above the usual for a second-round pick,'' Clark said.
San Diego coveted Tech's Sugar Bowl hero so much that it traded its first-round pick in 1997 to Tampa Bay for the Bucs' second-round pick '96 pick (41st overall), where it took Still.
Clark said Chargers general manager Bobby Beathard realized there would be some heat for trading up for a player who hadn't exactly drawn national attention.
"Beathard called me 10 minutes before they picked Bryan and said, `I'm going to forewarn you guys, the press is going to pick [Still], pick the meat right off his bones.'''
A post-draft story in Sports Illustrated and several reports out of San Diego roasted Beathard for the move.
"They really didn't know who Bryan Still was,'' Clark said. "Once Bryan met the press in San Diego it was like, wow, he's not a smurf ... he's a pretty decent-sized kid.
"All I told Beathard was: `If you don't have the rookie of the year, there's a possibility that it doesn't exist.'''
Clark said Still has been ``thick-skinned'' thus far to the media criticism.
"Bryan is going to use this as a motivator, believe me,'' Clark said.
DESHAZO DONE? Another ex-Tech player in Clark's fold, quarterback Maurice DeShazo, may have played his last down of football, the agent said.
"I think this may be it for Maurice,'' said Clark.
DeShazo recently was cut by Calgary of the Canadian Football League. Calgary released DeShazo a couple days after it handed walking papers to former Virginia standout QB Shawn Moore. Clark said the CFL club simply couldn't afford to pay the two quarterbacks.
"I don't know how else to see it,'' Clark said. "Two days before he was cut, Maurice threw two touchdown passes in three reps in an intrasquad scrimmage. Then they cut him. Go figure that.''
Clark said DeShazo has returned to his old job at a Christiansburg car dealership.
"It was difficult for Maurice to leave the car job to go to Canada because he was doing so well financially,'' Clark said. ``He's doing well. I wouldn't worry about Maurice.''
DeShazo, a former Bassett High School standout who started three years at Tech, couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday.
RISING INTEREST: As of Monday, Tech had sold 14,571 football season tickets for 1996. The total already has surpassed last season's record of 14,312.
Tim East, promotions director in Tech's sports marketing office, projected the Hokies will hit 17,000 before the season opens Sept.7 at Akron.
The season ticket package costs $154, a 45-percent increase over last year's $106 price. Of course, this year's package includes seven home games, compared to five in '95.
LENGTH: Long : 104 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Thomas.by CNB